


The Daleks

by thisprentiss



Series: Classic Who "Reboot" Season 1 [2]
Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Alien Planet, Alien Technology, Canon Rewrite, F/F, Suspense, The Daleks - Freeform, The Dead Planet, love her, oh no im back on my bullshit, so barbara wright huh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-08-03 04:36:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 34,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16319285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisprentiss/pseuds/thisprentiss
Summary: the TARDIS crew lands on an alien planet that seems to be entirely dead. honey they've got a big storm coming.





	1. The Dead Planet

**Author's Note:**

> yall remember the unearthly child rewrite? ok well im back on my bullshit with the next episode arc!! once again, this is mad self indulgent, but im throwing it into the void anyway. don't roast me!! im just a humble gay doing my best in this bitch of a world
> 
> here's where i got the script/og dialogue! http://www.chakoteya.net/DoctorWho/1-2.htm
> 
> also im dedicating this to tina thefirstintimeandspace i love u sm

_"Oh, Susan, dear, check the radiation."_

_"It is reading..." Susan leaned back around the console, then smiled, "Normal, grandmother!"_

_"Good, good! That's what I like to hear. Now, Miss Wright, I'll show you to where you can get cleaned up."_

_As the four left the control room, the hum of the console began to get louder, more shrill. The walls became brighter, like a warning beacon._

_The radiation meter spiked into the danger zone._

 

* * *

 

Jan walked into the bathroom just as Barbara stepped out of the shower.

"OH!" she shouted, turning with her hands over her eyes, "I'm so sorry! I didn't-"

"It's alright, sorry, I should've locked the door," Barbara turned Jan around by the shoulder, now wrapped in a blue towel. "Did you want to shower? I'll go get dressed in the other room. The Doctor showed me the most _incredible_ wardrobe she's got."

"Y..." Jan's breath was caught in her throat. The long healing strips Susan had put across her ribs suddenly felt _much_ colder than they did before. "Yes, I was- I was going to shower, but- but don't rush. I..."

"Hm?" Barbara's hair hung dripping down her collarbone, face clean of the makeup Jan was used to seeing her in. In the steamy lights of the bathroom, she was practically _glowing_. "You alright?"

Jan swallowed and forced a smile. "Yeah, I just- I've never seen you with your hair..." she gestured vaguely, "Like that."

Barbara hummed in response, taking another towel and starting to dry her hair. "I'll get out of your way. I could swear the thing can read minds, the water was so perfect the entire time."

"Was it?" Jan watched Barbara head for the door, eyes trained, fascinated, across her back. There was an aching feeling in her heart, and a smile - maybe of longing - quirked at the edge of her mouth. "Well, I'll be out in just a minute. I've never been one for long showers."

"Ugh, you soldier girls," Barbara teased, "Never appreciate a long shower. If anything, you should appreciate it more!"

"I'm a simple woman!"

Barbara laughed, and it was the purest, most beautiful thing Jan had ever heard. "I'll see you soon. Touch that glowing thing on the wall to turn on the water."

 

* * *

 

Susan and the Doctor were both outside by the time Barbara finished cleaning up and getting dressed.

As she stepped out of the TARDIS, the first thing she noticed was that the air felt _alive._ Like there was static electricity seeping into her skin, making the hair on her arms stand on end. It was warm, but not humid, and there was a breeze through the forest that felt... _unnatural_. Staring around, Barbara couldn't stop herself from murmuring, "Good lord."

"Miss Wright!" Susan smiled, and bounded over to her, "Did the TARDIS give you good clothes?"

"Yes, thank you, Susan, they're lovely," Barbara said, but couldn't take her eyes off the trees, "What happened here?"

"Forest fire, I'd presume," the Doctor shrugged, motioning Barbara over to where she was squatting, "Look at this," she ran her hands through the sandy looking substance on the forest floor, "The heat must've been indescribable, look here. The forest floor is nothing but sand."

"And there's spots where it's melted into glass, Miss Wright, look," Susan patted a spot on the ground about four feet wide, where there was a lumpy glass rock.

"Fascinating. Extraordinary," the Doctor hummed to herself, standing and resting her hand on a tree, "How is it the trees weren't destroyed in the fire, hmm? Susan, thoughts?"

Susan, starting to draw shapes in the sand, bit her tongue between her teeth. "Well, it wouldn't have been the heat, would it? If it melted the sand it would've destroyed the trees completely. And if they were just _old_ they would've rotted, right? I suppose..." Susan scrambled the picture she'd been drawing, "No, never mind. I was going to say what if the trees came in _after_ the fire, but that wouldn't make any sense. I don't think anything could grow in soil like this."

"Very good, child, very good. Ah, Miss Chessington! Your ribs are feeling better, I presume," the Doctor clutched her lapels with a smug smile as Jan stepped out of the TARDIS.

"It doesn't make a lick of sense, but yes, they are," she sighed, taking exaggerated steps and swirling her feet in the air. "Funny mist, eh?"

"Oh you're right," Barbara looked down again, suddenly realizing there was a fine, almost transparent mist that settled over the ground like clouds. It shimmered as she ran her hand through it. "I hadn't even noticed."

Jan was wandering a bit further away from the TARDIS, staring in fascination. "It's all so... _dead._ What do you think happened?"

"We think it was a forest fire," Barbara explained, taking a few steps toward her. Jan crossed her arms and nodded.

"Makes sense. Strange, though. Anyone else feel that breeze?"

The Doctor pursed her lips. "Quite brisk. What's your point?"

"Well, look at the branches and things!"

"Oh!" Susan said, standing and going to stand with Jan, "They don't seem to be moving!"

Barbara's brow furrowed. "They're not. They're absolutely still."

Curious, Jan squinted at one of the branches, then leaned in for a closer look. She brought her hand up carefully, only intending to poke one of the twigs, and jumped back when it crumbled to dust at her touch. "Huh!" her face lit up in fascination, "Look at this, the trees are like _stone_. Very brittle, these little pieces turned to dust when I touched them, look!"

"It's petrified," the Doctor hummed, knocking the trunk of the tree with her knuckles, "Fascinating. A petrified jungle. We really must investigate further. It has all the makings of a forest fire, but Susan, you're right, the heat would've destroyed it."

"What could it have been, then, grandmother?" Susan asked, wiping the dust from several twigs she'd destroyed off her hands. The Doctor raised an eyebrow and a smile quirked at her mouth.

"I don't know... I don't know, but I intend to find out!" without another word, she marched off into the forest, leaving the other three standing by the tree. Susan looked like a little kid on her birthday, clapping.

"Oh, I'm coming too! Wait up, grandmother!" she knocked out four more twigs just for the fun of it, then dashed off after the Doctor.

This forest was nothing like the forest they'd been in with the cave men. This forest was _actually_ quiet. Eerily quiet. No bugs, no animals, not even the sounds of a distant civilization. It was just so... _dead._ Barbara turned, and rested her hand on Jan's arm.

"Janice..." her voice barely came out above a whisper, "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Jan couldn't stop scanning her eyes over the still trees, suspicious. Barbara squeezed her arm, noticing how much softer this sweater was than the ones Jan usually wore.

"Well why doesn't she just take us _back?_ "

Jan sighed. "I think she's telling the truth. She really can't."

"What, _ever!?_ " Barbara could feel her breath hitch, and she slapped herself mentally; she had _just_ finished crying in the shower, she wasn't about to do it again out here. Jan didn't answer at first, seeming to debate her answer. Then, finally, she took Barbara's hand and gave her a comforting smile.

"Look, I hate it just as much as you. I'm just as afraid. But what can we do about it?" she let Barbara lean her head on her shoulder, closing her eyes.

"We should at least stay by the ship, shouldn't we?"

Jan squeezed Barbara's hand. "The ship's no good without her. 'Sides, I think we ought to keep an eye on her. She seems to have a knack for getting into trouble."

"Do you think it's dangerous?" Barbara asked. Jan shrugged.

"I don't suppose so. But we'll be careful nonetheless."

"I just wish..." she trailed off, sighing. Then, after a moment, Barbara pulled her head off Jan's shoulder and let out a deep breath. "You're right, of course. We'll follow the old girl and make sure she doesn't break a leg or anything."

"That's the spirit, Miss Wright!" Jan tapped her nose with her pointer finger, holding out her arm for Barbara to link hers around. They could still hear Susan and the Doctor in the distance, and they followed in that direction. "Y'know... maybe she deserves something bad to happen to her?"

"Janice!" Barbara smacked her, then snorted, "No, I suppose you're right. Nothing awful, just... not good either. What's that you've got there, Susan?"

On the ground, Susan was kneeling over something bright red that stuck out of the sand. Her face was one of pure glee. "It's a flower! A perfect flower, look at this! It's still got its color!" she carefully cupped her hands under it and tugged it out of the sand, holding it close to her chest like a child, "Oh, it's beautiful! Grandmother, get a sample of the sand, I'll plant it once we get back to the TARDIS!"

"Of course, child, of course," the Doctor pulled some glass vials out of her coat pocket, and began scooping sand into them, digging a little deeper to get whatever was further down. Jan knelt down next to Susan, fascinated by the flower.

"How on earth did that survive whatever killed the rest of the plants?" she murmured, letting Susan put the flower into her hands. It was soft, nothing like everything else in the jungle, and smelled like nothing Jan had ever smelled before. "This is... this is extraordinary."

Several feet away, Barbara gasped. "Jan!?"

"One moment, Barbara!" Jan handed the flower back to Susan gently, but half way through the pass, Barbara screamed. The flower fell through both of their hands and hit the ground, petals breaking apart. Jan didn't even notice, standing up and rushing to Barbara's side. "What's wrong, what happened?"

"Jan, what the hell is that? What the _hell_ _is that!?_ "

It took a moment for her to see it, but when she did, Jan's stomach dropped. Draped over a stump was what she could only describe as a mutant squid. Countless tentacles sprung from its sides around a bulging eye, and at what she assumed was the top sat what looked like a brain. She could barely find words. "I- I... uh," swallowing thickly, Jan straightened her tie and cleared her throat, "Well, it's petrified, just like everything else 'round here."

"It's _hideous_ ," Barbara backed up until she was touching Jan, "What is it, I want to know what on _Earth_ that is!"

"Barbara, I don't think that we're... _on_ Earth anymore," Jan felt almost dizzy saying it.

Barbara practically groaned. "Oh, God, you're telling me we're on a different planet? First another time, now another planet!?" she stopped, suddenly still, with her eyes wide, "Oh... my _God_ , that's an alien. That's an _alien!?_ "

"Alien to you, perhaps, young lady, but I presume it's quite native to this planet," the Doctor strolled up with her hands folded around her lapels, "Yes, dear, in this situation, I believe _you_ are the alien."

"We're not on Earth, then?" Barbara's voice was thin.

"No, quite not."

"You're certain?" Jan asked. The Doctor just let out a chuckle.

" _Quite_ certain. And you needn't look at me like that, young lady. I got you away from the cave men, didn't I? We're alive. And this is quite a fascinating beast, isn't it?" she pulled a pair of spectacles out and sat them on her nose, "It was definitely alive, at a time."

"H... how?" Jan blanched, "Was it- did it have a heart, or lungs, or-"

"What, you can only think of an animal when it has Earthly qualities, hmm? How very human of you. I should've expected that from those cave men, not from a woman of science like yourself."

"Oh, grandmother, look! The jungle ends over here!" Susan's voice was the only thing stopping Jan from full on decking the Doctor right there and then. "There's mountains! It's gorgeous!"

As the Doctor walked away, smug smile on her face, Jan pulled Barbara close to her.

"Hey," she said, holding her shoulders square, "Look at me. Try not to be too upset."

"I just-" Barbara's voice broke, "That whole time, in the cave, I was counting on being able to go back to- to my _life_ , to normal life. At least then we were still on Earth, now..." she shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek, "Now there's nothing. There's nothing normal about this, Jan. There's nothing for me to rely on."

Jan squeezed her shoulders. "You've got me. That's at least something, yeah?" when Barbara nodded, Jan smiled at her, "I just want you to know that we _will_ get home. We will. I promise you. But for now, just think of this... I don't know, as an adventure!"

Barbara laughed, wrapping an arm around Jan and heading toward where the Doctor and Susan had gone. "I wish I was more like you. I'm afraid I'm quite an unwilling adventurer."

"Oh, trust me, I'm not exactly reveling in it myself. What've you got there, Susan?"

Susan was leaning back, holding a long, broken looking piece of metal with a glowing tip up toward the sky. She turned, smiling. "Grandmother and I were talking about determining our position by the stars! We can use the astral map back in the TARDIS once we've gotten a good look at the solar system around us!"

"Interesting," Jan smiled, watching Susan go back to pointing the thing at the sky. "Where'd she go, might I ask?"

"Just around the bend!"

Jan stuffed her hands in her pockets and started in the opposite direction. "Don't suppose she'll mind if I take a look around myself? Not every day I get to see an alien planet."

Susan waved her off, not watching. "Go for it! Just stay in yelling distance!"

"Will do!" a grin split across Jan's face, and she hurried off around the other rocky corner with excitement she would _never_ let the Doctor see.

Barbara took a seat on one of the rocks, leaning her back against the formation behind her. After a while, she sighed. "Susan?"

"Yes?"

"Don't you have anything in the ship that records your journeys?" she waited while Susan finished whatever she was doing with the glowing stick.

"Oh, of course we do! It's actually quite interesting!" Susan took a seat on the rock next to her, stuffing the stick into the front pocket of her pants, "You see, there's a meter hooked up to a great big bank of information, and if you feed it the _right_ information, the ship can take you exactly where and when you want to go, at any point or place in time."

"Well then why can't the Doctor control where we go?" _Why can't she take us home?_

Susan bit her lip, making an over-exaggerated cringing face. "Miss Wright, we left our home _very_ quickly. A ship like the TARDIS is typically operated by seven or more pilots at a time. Preferably on the more side. When it's just the two of us, we really can only work with small bits of the machine at once, and that means... unfortunately... we can't log where we go and we can't control where we go. We can just control when and if we materialize."

"Oh... I see," Barbara tried to mask her disappointment, but obviously didn't do a very good job, because Susan reached out and patted her shoulder.

"Are we all ready to go, then? I want to put this data into the astral map while it's still fresh!" the Doctor chortled, coming back around the corner. Barbara and Susan stood, looking off the other way.

"Miss Chesterton went to have a look around, but we can get her!" Susan said, running off down the same path Jan had taken, "Miss Chesterton! Miss Chesterton, it's time to go back to the TARDIS!"

When she'd disappeared, Barbara turned to the Doctor. "Did you manage to figure out what could've done all of this? To the jungle, I mean."

"I'm afraid I haven't," the Doctor said, grabbing her lapels, "I feel as if I'm missing something obvious, but I can't seem to put my finger on what. The planet is just... _dead._ A dead planet. All its life preserved in a single, horrific moment."

Barbara hummed. "Like Pompeii."

"Precisely. Only there was no Vesuvius here."

"Grandmother, Miss Wright, come look at this!" Susan's voice broke both their vague daze, and they headed off toward where she'd called from. "Look, isn't it _amazing!?_ "

"Oh what is it, child, we really must be getting back to the T-" the Doctor stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. Barbara rounded another rock and froze in a similar manner.

They stood before a cliff, dropping off hundreds of feet and sloping down toward what had to be the largest, most incredible city Barbara had ever seen. It was all orbs and domes and spires, gleaming white and silver metal in the light, almost too bright to look at.

"Good gracious," the Doctor muttered. In a sort of trance, she pulled a pair of binoculars from her coat pocket and flicked them open, gazing down at the city in awe. "How fascinating..."

"Let me look!" Susan smiled, and squealed when she stared through the lenses. "It's fabulous! I wonder if anything lives down there!"

"Can you see any signs of life, Doctor?" Jan asked, leaning on the rock behind her with a sort of smug satisfaction on her face. The Doctor took the binoculars back from Susan and squinted through them.

"Not that I can tell, no. No, no, no signs of life," the Doctor handed the binoculars to Barbara, who had a good look, "Whatever destroyed the life on this planet didn't damage the city. But there doesn't seem to be anything living there. No lights, no movement... I suppose we shall see when we're down there, eh?"

Barbara pulled the binoculars away from her eyes, staring back at the Doctor. " _Down there?_ Doctor, you said we were going back to the ship."

"Well I had _intended_ to go back to the ship, but this city is a _marvelous_ subject of study, and I want to go and look around if that's perfectly alright with you," the Doctor took the binoculars back and inspected the side of the cliff, "Ah, now see, it looks like there's a path down the drop off we can get to if we head a little that way-"

"Doctor," Jan grabbed her by the elbow, spinning her around, "It's getting too dark for exploring. Let's go back to the ship and we can talk about what we're going to do from there."

The Doctor sneered at her, jerking her arm away, but ultimately sighed. "Yes, yes, yes, whatever. I suppose you're right. I hope you know I won't be stopped from investigating this city, though."

"Alright, Doctor, but whatever you decide to do can't endanger the rest of us," Jan grabbed the binoculars out of the Doctor's hands and folded them up.

"I shall go myself, then. Out of my way."

"Excuse me, you're not going anywhere right now," Jan didn't bother physically stopping her this time, "We all saw what happened last time you went off by yourself. Besides, you're the only one who knows how to operate the ship. If something happens to you, we're all stuck here. Let's just go back to the ship and come up with... oh, I don't know. A game plan."

The Doctor glared for a moment, then huffed, "Very well, very well."

They started back through the rocks and into the jungle.

Susan strayed a bit behind as the others pushed on toward the TARDIS, flicking twigs and watching with amusement as they flaked to dust and fluttered to the ground.

A flash of _something_ in the corner of her eye grabbed her attention.

Turning, Susan noticed another flower like the one she'd found earlier sticking out of the ground, barely visible through the trees around it. With a glance up ahead to make sure she could still see the others, Susan ran off to grab it.

This one was more rooted into the ground, and it took a little bit of digging to pull it all the way out. When she did, she cupped it in her hands and smiled. "Oh aren't you _beautiful?_ "

Something crunched behind her and Susan yelped, standing and whirling.

"Grandmother?" she called, peering into the darkness in front of her. When she didn't get an answer, Susan stepped forward, "Miss Wright? Miss Chesterton?"

Vaguely, Susan thought she could see the outline of a person staring back at her. She squinted, stepping a little closer... what felt like a hand touched her shoulder, and Susan screamed, ducking and running after the others.

"Susan!?" Jan turned as Susan broke out of the trees, running straight into her arms. She awkwardly patted her shoulders, blinking in confusion, "Susan, it's alright, calm down."

"Susan, what happened?" Barbara asked, gently leaning down. Susan looked up from where she'd buried her face in Jan's arm, tears in her eyes.

Her voice came out in a whisper. "There's something out there."

 

* * *

 

Barbara approached the Doctor, who was gathering tools into a carpet bag similar to the one she'd had at the start of their cave adventure.

"Doctor?" she asked, jumping back when what looked like a hose was tossed at her feet. "Doctor, did Susan-" she stopped as the Doctor turned on an object that made a loud motor-like sound. When it had gone in the bag, Barbara cleared her throat again. " _Doctor._ "

"Hm?" the Doctor didn't look up at her.

"Do you think Susan was telling the truth? That something..." Barbara swallowed thickly, "That there was something alive _out there_ , and it touched her?"

The Doctor just chortled, inspecting a large object with a screen. "Nonsense. Don't be daft. I think the poor girl backed into a tree and scared the daylights out of herself. Nothing more than a trick of the imagination. She's a bit of a jumpy girl, if you hadn't noticed."

"Yes..." Barbara leaned against the console, chewing the inside of her cheek.

"I've tried to convince her she's made it all up in her mind, but she simply won't listen to me," the Doctor paused, and looked up at Barbara, "Perhaps you could talk some sense into her, eh? A younger woman like yourself may be able to appeal to her in a better way than her own grandmother could. I'm afraid the difference between my own age and Susan's makes it a bit difficult for me to get through to her."

Barbara pushed off the console, rolling her sleeves up. "I suppose. I'll do my best, Doctor, but if I can't get through to her maybe we should just let it be."

"Hmh," the Doctor had gone back to rummaging. Barbara sighed, heading off down the corridor toward where she'd last seen Susan.

 

* * *

 

A knock sounded on the door, and Susan didn't look up from the table.

"Come in!" she called, voice devoid of her usual enthusiasm. In the reflection of the wall, she could see Barbara carefully entering and closing the door behind her. "Hello, Miss Wright."

"Hello, Susan," Barbara smiled, "Mind if I sit?"

"Go ahead."

Barbara waited for a minute, then leaned over Susan's shoulder. "What're you doing?"

"Drawing," Susan turned the paper so Barbara could see, "It's the flower I saw in the forest. The first one. I have the second one on my shelf in the control room."

"It's beautiful, Susan. You're a very talented artist," Barbara sat back, allowing Susan to return to shading with the red pencils.

"Thank you, Miss Wright."

Silence fell between them again, and Susan had just moved onto the next petal when Barbara spoke. "What happened out there, in the jungle?"

"Nothing, apparently," Susan jabbed just a little too hard and left a shiny dent in the paper.

"You said you thought someone was out there? And you thought they touched your shoulder, right?"

Susan pushed the paper and the pencils away, spinning her chair to face Barbara directly. "Someone _was_ out there, Miss Wright. I heard footsteps behind me and you three were already so far ahead it couldn't have been any of you. And when I turned around I saw a person in the darkness and someone grabbed my shoulder before I ran."

"I see," Barbara crossed her legs.

"I'm not making it up!"

"No, I don't think you are!" Barbara let out a half-laugh, maybe out of defensiveness, "You seem too frightened to be making it up."

Susan sighed, throwing her head back. "It's not _that_ , I'm not frightened _anymore._ I'm just fed up that no one will believe me. Especially grandmother."

"It's not that she doesn't believe you, Susan, she just has a hard time going against what she thinks are the true scientific facts," Barbara leaned on Susan's desk, snorting, "Just like Jan. Both of them have different views on what's correct, and when things challenge them, well... it's hard for them to accept."

"I know..." Susan drummed the desk with her pencil.

"Well, if it's any consolation, _I_ believe you," Barbara smiled, and stood when Susan looked up and gave her a grateful smile in return. "C'mon, try and forget about it for now. We'll go see what the others are up to, see if the Doctor's got our location pinpointed yet."

Susan hesitated, then jumped up and took a deep breath. "I suppose you're right. Oh, hey, are you alright?" she reached out and touched Barbara's arm when she saw the sudden look of pain on her face.

"Yes, I just... I've had a headache for a little while, and it just suddenly got worse. You wouldn't happen to have anything for that, would you?"

 

* * *

 

"What's this one do?"

The Doctor smacked Jan's hand away from the console for the fiftieth time. "Stop."

"How do you make sense of all this?" Jan was smacked again when she tried to grab a lever. "Well, I suppose you don't. Otherwise you'd know where we are."

"Quite so, quite so..." the Doctor murmured, then looked up, "I beg your _pardon!?_ "

Jan snorted, crossing her arms. "You said you were putting our coordinates into some 'astral map' as you called it. So? Do you know where we are?"

"These incessant questions of yours, young lady!" the Doctor huffed, storming past her and yanking out one of the circular panels on the wall, "No, I don't know where we are yet! I suppose you'd like to try it yourself, wouldn't you!?"

"Now listen here, Doctor," Jan sneered at her, standing over her with a tilt of the head, "I don't want to argue with you, but you've at least got to try and look at this from our point of view. We don't have half a clue what's going on, the least you could do is tell us where the hell we are!"

"I don't have to tell you _anything!_ "

"We're fellow travelers whether you like it or not! For heavens sake, you uprooted us _violently_ from our lives, and now you're-"

The Doctor turned and shoved Jan back several steps. " _You_ pushed your way into my ship, young lady! Don't try and act as if none of this is your fault!"

"I-" Jan paused, clenching her teeth, then sighed, "Yes, I- I'll admit, this was partly our fault."

"Oh, only partly!" the Doctor slammed the panel and walked back to the console.

"Doctor, you have to understand, we're _frightened_ ," Jan squeezed the bridge of her nose, "Can we live on this ship? Is it equipped to deal with humans, or just your species? We've seen it has clothes for us, showers, but- but you seem to use those too. What about food? We haven't had a proper meal in _days_ , hell we might've been in that cave for a week! What are we supposed to-"

"Excellent idea, I'm hungry as well."

The Doctor swept past Jan and into the corridor, leaving her opening and closing her mouth by the console like a fish before following after her.

 

* * *

 

Three doorways and six turns down halls later, Jan found the Doctor leading her into a room that looked much like the control room, only with smooth walls and no console. Instead, there was a monitor on one wall, a table in the middle of the room with two chairs, cabinets from the floor to the ceiling in one corner, and a large machine near a countertop.

Susan was standing with Barbara next to the cabinets, carefully squeezing something out of a vial into a glass of water.

"Are you ill, Susan?" the Doctor asked, taking her coat off and slinging it over the back of one of the chairs. Susan smiled and shook her head.

"No, Miss Wright has a headache, I thought I'd give her something for it."

"Not that _much_ , child, she's a human!" the Doctor snatched the vial from Susan and swirled the water around before putting in one more drop. "That should be enough. Drink it in one gulp, Miss Wright," she then turned on her heel and headed to the machine near the counter.

"Thank you, Doctor. Thank you, Susan," Barbara downed the glass and handed it back to Susan, who walked over and set it on the table.

Jan smiled. "I hope it does you some good. Doctor, did you say you were going to give us something to eat?"

"What do you _think_ I'm doing, Chittington, dancing a tango?" the Doctor shot over her shoulder, before turning to wave around two yellowish cubes about the size of her palm. "What would you like to eat?"

"You're not telling me we have to eat a little sugar block," Jan rolled her eyes back, groaning, "Doctor, we aren't gerbils."

"Nonsense, this isn't a sugar block, it's right food. What are you in the mood for, then?" she addressed Barbara this time, who shrugged.

"I could go for some bacon and eggs," she said. The Doctor tossed one cube to Susan and bit the other one in half before spinning back around, typing something, pulling a few levers, and hitting a button.

"It'll be just a moment. And for you?"

Jan peered over her shoulder in fascination. "Well... I don't know, what do you have?"

"Don't be silly, there are no limitations. What would you like to eat? Toss in a drink, if you'd like, but if you'd just like a drink we've got a different contraption for that." Jan took a deep breath, shrugging.

"Uh... how about coffee and a muffin?"

The Doctor hit a few buttons, then paused. "What kind? We've got any."

"Blueberry, I suppose?" Jan said, watching the Doctor finish what she was doing. When the Doctor turned around with two cubes, and handed them to her and Barbara, Jan stared at it in disbelief. " _This_ is going to be a coffee and a muffin? Am I supposed to... to put it in an oven, or something?"

"Nope!" Susan smiled, typing in another meal and waiting for her own cube, "They're not like the ones in Spy Kids, you just eat them."

"Spy... what?"

"It's more like the gum in... child, what's that story of the candy factory?" the Doctor asked, grabbing her lapels and leaning on the machine. Susan munched on her cube.

"Willy Wonka, grandmother. That was the 1960s, right? You know Willy Wonka?"

Barbara looked at Jan, then back at Susan. "I'm afraid I don't."

Susan snapped, remembering. "Oh! No, you wouldn't, it was 1964. Sorry, didn't mean to distract! Go ahead, eat!"

"We just..." Barbara turned the cube over in her hand, squinting at it, "Eat it?"

"In as many bites as you want, I just like to shove the whole thing in my mouth," Susan grinned, shooting the Doctor a glare when she was blocked from getting another cube.

Tentatively, Jan glanced at Barbara and raised the cube to her mouth, biting off the edge and rolling it around in her mouth. "That's..." her jaw went slack, "That's amazing, Doctor, you-" she bit off another piece and chewed, "That's _coffee!_ I feel like I've just taken a sip of coffee, how- how is that possible?"

"Take another bite, see how the muffin is. I'm afraid I'm not particularly familiar with programming Earth foods," the Doctor said, a smug smile on her face.

Jan took a bite and smiled. "It's delicious! Doctor, this is _incredible!_ "

"It really is, _my goodness!_ " Barbara half-groaned with pleasure, "One bite I taste the bacon, the next I taste the egg. Doctor how did you do this?"

"Food is all made of components, dear girl," the Doctor said, clasping her hands behind her back, "Flavors are rather like primary colors, you know, you blend two to achieve a third, a fourth, etcetera. How's your headache?"

Barbara nodded as she finished chewing. "Much better, thank you. It's strange, I don't usually get them unless I'm ill."

"Susan, if you'd really like another meal go ahead," the Doctor finally stepped away from the machine, but Susan shook her head.

"No, I- I don't think I'm hungry anymore."

"How uncommon for you, child."

Susan shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, could you grab the J6 for me, grandmother? I'm a bit nauseous," Susan said. The Doctor clicked her tongue, but retrieved the vial from the cabinet and tossed it to Susan. "Thank you."

"Perhaps you wouldn't be nauseous if you didn't eat so much in one sitting," the Doctor said. Susan downed a glass of water with the drops in it and chuckled.

"You're probably right. Do you think I could grab a quick nap? We're not really doing anything, are we?"

"No, we aren't, are we? Very well, go take your nap, I'll wake you when we head out to investigate the city," the Doctor said, earning a swift eyeroll from Jan.

Susan headed for the door, but they all stopped when the TARDIS made a sound like a gong, and the lights turned orange for a moment. Everyone froze, staring at each other for a long moment. Finally, Jan broke the silence.

"What just happened? What was that?" she asked. The Doctor was staring out the doorway, a vague look of muted horror on her face. "Doctor, what was that sound?"

"Oh dear..." the Doctor didn't answer, simply beelining out the door. The others followed quickly behind, watching her head into the control room and lower the monitor closer to herself. Barbara touched her shoulder, looking just as closely at the screen, though she didn't know what she was looking for.

"Doctor, what's happened?" she asked. The Doctor hummed low, and turned on her heel. Susan cleared her throat from the other side of the room.

"I asked the TARDIS to give us an alert if anything moved outside when we got back, after that thing touched me in the forest," she explained, almost sheepishly, "It was silly of me, but I was paranoid."

"Hmm, very silly indeed. However, it seems you were correct. I misjudged, Susan, I'm very sorry for not believing you," the Doctor said, pulling Susan to her side for a hug. "The scanner isn't showing anything but the trees outside, however. Could it perhaps have been a breeze rustling the trees?"

"You saw the trees, Doctor, they didn't budge a bit in the wind," Jan said. The Doctor made a noise of confirmation as she headed back toward the scanner. "Perhaps someone _was_ there, but ran when they heard the sound from the ship?"

"Nonsense, you can't hear sounds outside the ship if the doors are closed," the Doctor paced back and forth, noticing out of the corner of her eye Susan had opened the doors and was peering outside. "Child, come back in here, there may be someone out there."

"Grandmother, there's a box out here," she said, and disappeared for a moment before returning with a small box, made of the same stony material as the trees. "It's got a few vials of some liquid with something red crushed up in it, it kind of looks like the flowers I found out there."

Jan blanched. "So there _was_ someone out there!"

"Very interesting, I'd like to take that back to my laboratory and see exactly what it is. Susan, put it on the chair, I'll take it back later." Susan did as she was told, and Barbara shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, Doctor, can't we just get out of here? This place is giving me a bad feeling."

The Doctor waggled her finger in Barbara's direction. "Ah, but the _city._ I must see the city."

"But why-"

"I will not be questioned by uninvited passengers," she puffed out her chest for a second, but then sighed, "No, I suppose perhaps we _should_ go. Everything in that city is most likely just as dead as that forest."

And with that, the Doctor began working the controls, ducking down under the console and rummaging through some wires for presumably some other control. Barbara leaned over to Jan, smiling sleepily.

"I don't know about you, but I'd like the next forest I walk through to be made of wood, and have a man made trail," she said under her breath, earning a laugh from Jan. Suddenly, the usual screeching of the center column cut short, and the ship shook, knocking Barbara forward into Jan's arms. "Doctor, what was that? Have we landed somewhere else?"

"Well I certainly don't think so, that felt very wrong to _me_ ," the Doctor snapped at Susan, checking over the panels of buttons to see what was wrong, "Susan, bring up the fault locator. Everything was functioning normally a moment ago-"

"What's wrong, what's happened?" Jan asked, looming over the Doctor's shoulder. She earned a smack to the midsection.

"Don't distract me."

Susan stood up from where she'd crouched under the console, plugging two long wires into a screen. The screen lit up blue, and she fiddled with it for a moment before blowing out a loud breath. "It looks like the problem's inside zone three, I think that's the panel down there," she pointed to a panel underneath the center controls, level with the Doctor's knees. "Let me look inside, grandmother, hang on just a second."

"Of course, child," the Doctor stepped aside and Susan knelt under the controls, pulling the panel off and flicking a tiny flashlight on to look inside. "Can you see?"

"It's all wet in here," Susan said, head inside the console, "Smells like mercury. Oh, shit, yeah," she came out of the console with grease and silvery liquid on her hands, holding a clear object that resembled a jar. "It's the fluid link, looks like it broke and leaked everywhere."

"Well shouldn't we still be able to move?" the Doctor huffed.

"You know just as well as I do that's not possible," Susan said, setting the 'fluid link' down on a free space on the console, "We'll need more mercury."

"Do you think the owners kept a spare supply? This thing is impossible to break, so they wouldn't, would they?" the Doctor picked up the fluid link and examined the leak, pursing her lips. Susan put a hand on her shoulder, arm outstretched to its full length.

"I'm'a keep it real with you chief... no," she said, obviously quoting something none of them recognized, "I can check, though, if you'd like! It'll only take me a moment."

"Yes, yes, that would be nice."

Susan ran off down the hall, leaving the others standing in silence for a minute.

"So if there's none in the ship, what's going to happen?" Barbara asked, an edge of anxiety in her voice. The Doctor shrugged, setting the fluid link back down.

"I suppose we shall have to see if there's any outside. Perhaps there were scientists in the city, they may have some," she suggested. Barbara groaned.

"We're going into the city, then?"

Jan clapped her on the shoulder. "Don't be so sour, Susan might find some mercury yet."

Almost at the same time as she spoke, Susan came back into the control room, out of breath and shaking her head. "Nothing. They definitely had a supply at some point, but it looks like the fluid link might've broken before, and they used it then."

" _Damn_ ," the Doctor hissed, clenching her fists. "The city it is, then?"

"You get your wish after all, we've got no choice but to investigate the city," Jan said with a slight side-eye in the Doctor's direction. "Shall we head out now, or wait until the morning?"

"Morning. I'd like to sleep," Barbara said. Susan nodded in agreement.

The Doctor huffed out a sigh. "Morning it is, then. I'll have the ship wake us all a bit early, we can set out at first light."

Susan grabbed Barbara and Jan's hands, grinning. "I'll show you to where you can sleep!"

 

* * *

 

This room was just like all the other rooms Jan had been in. Except that it wasn't.

The walls were the same lively teal, glowing ever so slightly so it was almost imperceptible. But there was a carpet on the floor that looked just like the one in Jan's neighbor Wilfred's flat, and a wooden bunk bed in one corner. There was a desk in another corner with a typewriter on one side and a sleek silver thing that had a pink square of paper stuck to it that said ' _laptop - ask me!_ ' in Susan's handwriting.

A pair of pajamas had been draped over the back of the chair at the desk; Jan changed into them and awkwardly checked herself out in the mirror on the wall. Shorts and a tank top. She could see her ribs. She couldn't remember the last time she looked this gaunt.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Jan quickly threw the sweater on over top of her pajamas, opening the door.

"Hello," Barbara said quietly, arms wrapped around herself. She wore a soft looking robe, and her hair had been pulled back into a bun. Jan smiled.

"Hello. Would you like to come in?" Jan stepped aside when Barbara nodded, letting her come in and take a seat on the bed. "You alright?"

"Not really," Barbara sighed, "I can't help but feel as though the Doctor knew that thing was broken. I know it sounds silly, but... Jan, what if she broke it on purpose, so we could go look at the city?"

"I suppose it's possible," Jan sat down next to her, pulling her legs up to sit cross-legged. "But I don't think so. We're going to be fine, Barbara. It's just another little adventure. Everything in that city is probably dead anyway."

Barbara nodded to herself, and fell silent. After a moment, she leaned her head on Jan's shoulder, sighing. Jan hesitated for a minute before wrapping her arm around Barbara, relaxing into her touch. They sat like that for a while, until Barbara licked her lips and let out another small sigh.

"Jan?" she asked, voice small, "Can I sleep in here with you?"

Jan chuckled. "Room the Doctor gave you not up to par?"

"Oh shove off!" Barbara elbowed her, smiling, and Jan nodded.

"Of course you can."

"Thank you."

"But you'll owe me a pint when we get home," Jan stood on the edge of the bed and pulled the pillows off the top bunk, flopping down next to Barbara and shimmying under the covers with a grin when Barbara giggled. "Notice I said _when_ and not _if._ "

Barbara hummed out a sigh, curling into Jan's side. "Mm. I hope you're right. Is this fine by you? Me sleeping like this?"

"Oh, of course," Jan smiled, and weaved her arm so it rested under Barbara's neck. "Is _this_ fine by _you?_ "

"Very much so," Barbara closed her eyes and snuggled closer. Jan could feel her face heating up, hoping Barbara couldn't feel how her heart was racing, "Goodnight, Miss Chesterton."

"Goodnight, Miss Wright."

 

* * *

 

When they set out for the city, the sun was rising, turning the sky a purple-blue color. The air was brisk with morning, and the mist had risen so it came up to Barbara's chest. Jan was the last to come out of the TARDIS, swinging a satchel over her shoulder. The Doctor peered at her suspiciously over her spectacles.

"What've you got in there, hmm?" she asked.

Jan patted the satchel with a smile. "Day's supply of food, a few torches, some baggies just in case we want to take any samples of anything. Plus a container for the mercury once we find it. I wasn't sure if you were bringing one," she peeked into the bag, "Oh, and a few extra pairs of socks."

The Doctor pulled a repaired fluid link out of her jacket, handing it over to Jan. "Carry this in your bag, would you? My pockets are stuffed enough. And-" she gestured at Jan's bag with judgement in her eyes, "Why _bring_ all that? We'll most likely not be more than a few hours," she said, folding her spectacles and pursing her lips. Jan shrugged.

"I don't know. I like to be prepared, I suppose," she said, and Susan bounced up to her.

"Well I think it's wonderful! I know I can always use more socks!" she grinned from ear to ear and grabbed Jan's hand, "C'mon everyone, we want to make use of all the daylight we've got!" and she started dragging her in the direction they'd gone to get to the cliff the day before.

Once they found the pathway the Doctor had seen, all of them were sweating; the air was somehow too hot and too cold at the same time. No one was talking much, save for a few offhand comments here and there, and Susan had gotten down to sixty bottles of beer on the wall. She'd started singing at five hundred.

Jan grunted, stepping over several large stones and helping Barbara over them. "Doctor, did you run your tests on that liquid we found outside the TARDIS?" she asked, shocked at how out of breath she was. Her lungs ached, and she put a hand on her chest.

"I started to, but I was more concerned with mapping our position on the astral map, so I didn't get very far. Susan, you did a bit of studying on them, didn't you?" the Doctor asked; she was out of breath too. Susan leap-frogged over a boulder, somehow still full of energy.

"Yep! I was having a little bit of a hard time identifying one of the components, so I took a sip out of one of the vials," she said. Jan blanched, hand tightening on her ribcage.

"Susan, what if it was something dangerous!?" the chemist in her was jumping out. The Doctor scoffed.

"Nonsense," she passed Jan and Barbara, continuing toward the city, "Our systems are equipped to deal with substances that may be dangerous. Susan is a smart girl, she wouldn't have sipped any more than she knew her bypass couldn't handle."

"That's right! And I was right, the crushed up stuff in the liquid were flower petals," she said. Then, her face fell, and she stared at Jan in concern. "Miss Chesterton, did the healing strips not work? You're holding your ribs."

"What?" Jan asked, then dropped her hand to her side in embarrassment, "Oh, no, I- I'm just a bit out of breath, that's all."

Susan's face brightened again, and her walk returned to the slight bounce it had before. "Oh! Alright then! Could I have one of the snacks you brought?"

"Of course, take your pick," Jan held out the open satchel toward Susan, who dug around and decided on a blue cube. As she walked along, Jan let out a sigh, staring at the city in the distance. "It sure didn't look that far when we were up on the cliff."

 

* * *

 

It was another two hours of walking before they reached the edge of the city, and the sun was now high up in the sky. The mist had fallen back down to ankle-level, though, and the temperature had evened out to a more reasonable one.

"Wow," Jan murmured under her breath, staring up at spherical towers and the spires that stretched toward the sky. Everything was clean, sleek metal, completely still and unmoving. "This is incredible. I've never seen architecture like this in my life."

"I don't think we ever will again, either," Barbara agreed, and was surprisingly the first one to step through the entry into the city, leaving the sandy ground behind her. "C'mon, you lot."

"Yes, yes. Alright, we're coming," the Doctor grumbled, wiping her damp face with a handkerchief. When she stepped onto the metal ground, her face became one of awe instead of anger. "Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Susan, are you seeing this?"

She'd already run off down a street, peeking around the corner. "Yes, grandmother! It's fantastic!"

"It's so _clean_ ," Jan said under her breath, running a hand down one of the shining walls of a building. "Doctor, I don't think anyone lives here. It would be impossible to keep it this clean."

"Hmm..." the Doctor dragged her hands across one of the walls as she walked, spectacles sitting on her nose once again so she could study it closer, "I think you may be right, my girl. It's immaculate. Absolutely breathtaking."

Jan coughed out a laugh, sharp pain shooting through her lungs. "Breathtaking is right. Am I the only one absolutely exhausted from that hike?"

"You are too?" Barbara asked, shaking her head in annoyance, "I thought it was just me. I didn't think I was so out of shape, but I suppose I misjudged my own endurance."

"I'm quite tired myself, now that you mention it," the Doctor agreed, leaning against the wall for support, "Let's go a little further, then I want to take a brief break. Perhaps eat some of those snacks Miss Chesterton brought."

"Sounds good to me, I'd love to take a break," Barbara said. Jan nodded.

"Alright, we'll do that. Doctor, should we maybe split up so we can cover more ground?" she asked, but before the Doctor could respond, one of the quarter-circle panels next to her made a _fwoosh_ sound and opened, revealing Susan on the other side. Everyone jumped in shock. "Susan! I was just about to ask where you were."

"I figured out how to open the doors! There's these little metal spheres and you just have to cup your hands all the way around them," she said, letting the door close before turning and showing them. The door swooshed back open, and Susan smiled wide. "Isn't that cool!"

"Very!" Barbara smiled back at her, "Jan was just talking about the four of us splitting up to look for mercury, just so we can cover more ground."

Susan closed the door again and gave Barbara a double thumbs up.

"Alright, let's get this done quickly so we can all take a break and then head back to the TARDIS. Look for scientific equipment, we'll most likely find what we're looking for in a laboratory, so- _oh_ -" Jan braced herself on the wall as she suddenly doubled over, clapping her hand over her mouth.

"Jan? Jan, are you alright?" Barbara put a hand on Jan's back, keeping it there when she stood up and steadied herself, "What happened?"

Jan shook it off with a loud exhale, wiping her forehead on the sleeve of her sweater. "I got a bit of a wave of nausea there, I thought I might..." she trailed off, sighing, "Let's get this over with."

"Yes, I believe we should. Meet back here in an hour," the Doctor said, and without any further ado, headed down the street directly to her left. Susan gave a peace sign to Barbara and Jan, then skipped off down a different street, brandishing that glowing stick she'd had the day before.

Barbara turned to Jan with a defeated smile on her face. "Suppose we'll go off too."

"Suppose we will," Jan agreed.

Neither moved.

After a long moment, Barbara finally broke the silence, tugging down the bottom of her shirt. "Thank you for last night. I just... I didn't want to sleep alone."

"I understand," Jan said, nodding, "My bed's always open to you if you need it."

"Thank you," she looked like she was about to say more, but her eyes shot to the street behind Jan at the whooshing sound of a door opening. "I'm going to have a look down that street. See you in an hour!" she clapped Jan on the shoulder and marched toward where she'd heard the noise, turning and walking backwards with a sly grin, "Y'know, it's got to be something in the air, because I'm really looking forward to exploring this city! I almost feel like I'm in a dream!"

Jan laughed, waving her goodbye, before straightening her tie and going down a different street. Barbara smiled and sighed when Jan disappeared around a corner, feeling a surge of love in her chest. A giddy laugh bubbled out of her. _There really must be something in the air._

The door that had opened was still open when Barbara got to it.

She poked her head inside, and noticed that shapes had started to blur in and out, the dream-feeling intensifying. The hallway she entered was eerily quiet. "Hello?" she called. The walls seemed to absorb her voice. A chill ran down her spine.

The door closed behind her.

She walked forward.

 

* * *

 

Jan checked her watch for what had to be the fiftieth time in the past minute, anxiously looking down every street to see if Barbara was there, all while fighting back the growing nausea crawling into her throat. The Doctor had taken a seat on a smooth bench-like wall decoration, head resting against the wall. Susan was buttoning and unbuttoning her shirt out of sheer boredom.

Finally, Jan snapped. "Where the _hell_ is Barbara!?" she shouted, voice echoing off the metallic buildings. The Doctor rolled her eyes, not bothering to move her head from where it rested.

"She must've found something interesting, stop getting into a fuss," she said. Susan nodded.

"I'm sure she's alright, Miss Chesterton," her words sounded empty to Jan's ears, and she dug her nails into her palms so hard she cut crescents. "Just give her a few more minutes before you start to worry."

"Oh I'm far past worrying, Susan," Jan grumbled, feeling another wave of nausea hit her. When it passed, she wiped her forehead again and braced her hands on her knees. "If she's not back in ten minutes we go look for her."

 

* * *

 

Barbara didn't know how long she'd been walking through this maze of hallways, going through door after door after door; all of it was distorted and strange, like she was detached from her body and was just floating along for the ride.

Another door opened in front of her, and it only occurred to her right then that she hadn't cupped her hands around the mechanism to open it like Susan had showed her. If she'd been in a clearer state of mind, she would've thought _who's opening the doors, then?_  

"Hello?" she called through this new doorway, stepping through and looking around, "Anybody there?"

Vaguely, she heard mechanical whirring behind her, and she spun to look, the whole world going out of focus for a split second. Her vision came back just in time for her to see something huge and metal approaching her. Barbara backed up as far as she could, and was horrified to find a wall at her back. The thing advanced on her.

Barbara screamed.


	2. The Survivors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back on my self indulgent bullshit AGAIN. this time with chapter 2. im glad this isnt almost 10000 words this time bc that wouldve just been embarrassing (not that this isnt already embarrassing)
> 
> man i WISH i was back writing the cave men again, daleks are fucking tough??? i wasnt expecting that at all.

"Barbara!? Barbara, where are you!?"

"Miss Wright!? _Hello!?_ "

Susan opened another door and peered inside, seeing nothing but darkness. Still, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "MISS WRIGHT!?" then waited for a second. No response. Her shoulders fell, and she closed the door again. "Miss Chesterton, did Barbara tell you where she was _going?_ "

"No, she just-" Jan grabbed the doorway and almost fell, managing to push herself up with a groan, "She didn't say anything, she just walked off. Something-" she choked, "Something about there being- being something in the air making- making her want to... to explore?"

"Are you alright, do you need to sit down?" Susan steadied Jan with a hand on her arm, but she was brushed away after a moment.

"I'm alright," Jan said, taking a deep breath and starting off down the street again, "I just needed a moment. Thank you, Susan."

With a glance at her teacher, Susan sighed and opened the door Jan had just neglected to look through. Shockingly, this one was lit. Susan gasped. "Oh, grandmother! Miss Chesterton, come back! There's a corridor!" When both had come back, Susan pointed. "Look!"

"Lights..." Jan murmured, "Well c'mon, I suppose we ought to see where it leads."

"Wait!" the Doctor grabbed Jan's arm and yanked her away from the corridor, putting a finger to her lips. "Quiet, both of you," a pause. No one spoke. The Doctor glared, "I said _quiet!_ "

"You're the only one speaking, grandmoter," Susan whispered. The Doctor seemed surprised, but didn't respond.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Shh!"

All three stood stock still, listening for whatever the Doctor was hearing. Suddenly, Jan nodded. "Hang on a moment, I can hear it now. It's... sort of a ticking, yeah?"

"Where is it coming from, hmm?" the Doctor slowly walked around Susan and Jan, listening to the buildings. Then, she snapped and pointed at the one across from the corridor. "There!"

"Oh, I was just in there," Susan said, "It was all dark inside, I couldn't see anything."

Jan rummaged in her bag, smiling as she pulled out two flashlights. "Well I've got torches. Let's go back in."

Susan opened the door again and let Jan step inside first, flicking on the flashlight before she'd even left the doorway. Pointing it around, she saw the room was much less empty than she'd initially thought, low tables lining the walls with all sorts of scientific equipment on them.

"Alright," Susan shrugged, "This looks a bit hopeful on the mercury side of things."

"Less so on the finding Barbara side, though," Jan muttered, but then she smiled at Susan half-heartedly, "But at least it's something, eh?"

The Doctor was walking around the room as if she were in a trance, running her hands over all the different pieces of equipment. "This is all fascinating. Chandelton, come feel this," she took her hand off a small dome on a slight incline, letting Jan touch it. "Do you feel that?"

She looked confused, but nodded. "I do. It's... static. Warm, like someone was just using it."

"So there _are_ people living here?" Susan asked, picking up several similar dome shaped tools and looking at them. The Doctor made a sound of approval.

"Hmm, yes, I do believe so. And from what I can tell, they're _astoundingly_ intelligent people at that," she set her spectacles on her nose to get a closer look.

On the other side of the room, Susan was using the flashlight to illuminate every container of liquid she saw, waiting to find the mercury. "Where are you..." she muttered, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Two tables over, she realized the ticking they'd all heard out on the street was coming from this machine. "Oi, grandmother! Miss Chesterton!" she called, looking at the machine in fascination.

"What is it, child?" the Doctor asked, and Susan waved her over.

"This is what the ticking is coming from, see?" she waggled the flashlight over the screen. Jan squinted, trying to read what it said.

"It's not displaying anything," she said. Susan searched the machine for an on switch, and was surprised to find, at about the level of her chest, there was another half-sphere like the ones that operated the doors. Without a word, she held the flashlight between her teeth and cupped her hands around it.

Immediately, the screen sprung to life and began to flash red.

"What's it doing that for?" Jan asked, shielding her eyes from the light. It took Susan a moment to decipher the layout of whatever sort of measuring device this was, but when she did, she gasped in horror. "What!? Susan, what is it?"

"Oh, grandmother, the TARDIS is more broken than I thought it was," her voice wavered. The Doctor stared at her.

"What do you _mean,_ child? How is it more broken than you thought?"

Susan turned back toward the machine and rested her hands on the sides, closing her eyes. "This is a Geiger counter, grandmother. A really, _really_ complex Geiger counter."

"And what about it? Susan, spit it out, what's the problem?" Jan demanded, obviously growing impatient. Susan traced her hand over what she now knew was the meter, gritting her teeth.

"Back in the TARDIS I checked _our_ Geiger counter and it read fifteen to sixteen millisieverts, and- and I saw it fluctuate up into the danger zone a few times, but it would only do that for a split second, so I thought it was just an odd malfunction, I didn't think-" she swallowed thickly.

"Well what's this one say?" Jan prodded, and Susan felt like she was going to cry.

"This is measuring over eight _thousand_ millisieverts, Miss Chesterton, that's more radiation than they recorded in the workers at Chernobyl after the collapse!" Susan cried, ignoring Jan's obvious _what's Chernobyl_ question, "We've got to get back to the TARDIS, we have to find Barbara, we- we have to _go!_ "

The Doctor waved her hand around. "Wait a moment, child, you say over eight thousand?"

"Yes, grandmother, we're going to need _serious_ medical treatment once we get back to the TARDIS!"

But the Doctor didn't seem to hear her, wandering backwards a few steps. "Hmm. Very interesting. It explains the petrified jungle, the absolute lack of living organisms. We must be at the site of a nuclear disaster."

"But what about the buildings?" Jan asked. The Doctor shook her head.

"No, no, no. A neutron bomb. Yes, a neutron bomb must've been detonated. It would decimate the living organisms, but leave the buildings and machinery intact," she said. Susan attempted to step in front of her to get her attention.

"Grandmother, we need to _leave._ "

"I suppose it also explains why the three of us aren't feeling well," she added. Jan groaned.

"Radiation poisoning?"

"I'm afraid so."

Susan bounced anxiously, glancing from the other two women to the door, and back again. "Radiation poisoning. _Yes!_ And it's killing us as we speak, so it would be in our best interest to go _back_ to the-"

"Susan, wait, we-" Jan cupped her hands around the sphere to turn the machine off, grabbing it for support when she stood back up, "We can't go. Not yet, we- we need the mercury for the ship, yes?"

"And Barbara," the Doctor added, leaning against one of the walls with her eyes closed, "No, young lady, we don't need the mercury."

"Except that we _do_ , grandmother," Susan held onto the Doctor's elbow, desperately searching her face for acknowledgement, "The fluid link was broken, and whoever owned the TARDIS before us didn't have-"

The Doctor opened her eyes and smiled, patting Susan on the cheek as she stood back up to her full height. "Ah, see, but they did. It's in my laboratory, I moved it while we were still in the 1960s for some experiments."

Susan stepped back, shocked. "You... you what? But you said-"

" _I_ broke the fluid link," the Doctor admitted, putting her hands up, "Everyone was so determined to leave, but I still hadn't gotten a chance to see the city. I figured a little foul play wouldn't hurt anyone."

"But it _is_ hurting us, grandmother! Don't you see that!?" Susan cried. Jan clenched her hands into fists and stormed over from the Geiger counter, shoving the Doctor backwards.

"You absolute _FOOL!_ " she was yanked backwards by the strap of her satchel, and Susan stepped between her and the Doctor.

"Stop it! We need to find Barbara and get _out_ of here, right now!"

"Forget finding Barbara, we should leave this instant!" the Doctor grabbed her lapels and headed for the door.

"Excuse me!?" Jan snapped, "No, we stay and find Barbara."

The Doctor waved her hand dismissively. "Stay if you'd like, but Susan and I are going back to the ship, and then we're leaving this planet. With or without you. Come along, child."

To both the Doctor and Susan's surprise, Jan actually laughed. "Sorry, but I don't think you're gonna get very far without this," she pulled the repaired fluid link out of her satchel, smiling smugly. The Doctor glared, scowling.

"Give that back this _instant!_ "

"NO!" Jan shoved it back in the bag, "No, it's time for you to face the _consequences_ of your actions! _YOU_ got us into this bloody mess and now I'm going to make sure _you_ get us out!"

"Chesterton, if you don't give me that fluid link _right now-_ "

"Arguing is a waste of time, Doctor, we need to go and _find Barbara._ "

Susan grabbed the Doctor before she could start yelling again, staring at her pleadingly. "Please, grandmother, she's right. We're wasting time."

Sighing, the Doctor nodded and put her arm around Susan for a half-hug. "Child, I wish you'd think of me as an adult sometimes. Yes, yes. Yes, let's go. Back outside, then?"

"Miss Chesterton, are you sure you didn't see where Barbara could've gone?" Susan asked, and Jan squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. Then she snapped.

"She went through a door that opened down the street, she's got to be inside!" Jan said, grinning at the realization, "So we'll go through _that_ door! It'll take us further into the building!"

"Well let's go!" Susan said, running to open the door.

"Yes, let's!" Jan caught up with her in several strides, the Doctor coming to stand at her side.

When the door opened, Susan was the first out, and she screamed.

The Doctor quickly rushed forward and let Susan hide herself in her arms, and Jan found the door shutting as soon as she'd left the doorway, trapping all three of them in the hall with whatever these _things_ were.

The only way Susan could describe them would be big, awful pepper pots. There were seven of them, apparently guarding all the possible exits. From a panel on the front of them a metal whisk-like weapon and a rod with a plunger on the end stuck out, a similar plunger with a glowing blue lens protruding from their domed heads. They didn't have feet, just wide bases that rolled on the ground.

"What... the _hell_ ," Jan murmured under her breath.

One of the creatures rolled forward, eye stalk looking them up and down, and two lights on top of its head flashed as it spoke. " _YOU- WILL- MOVE- AHEAD- OF- US- AND- FOLLOW- MY- DIRECTIONS. THIS- WAY. IM-MEDIATELY,_ " its voice made all three cringe, metallic and threatening.

"Do as it said," the Doctor whispered, ushering Susan to where the creature indicated. Jan stood still by the doorway, eyes wide and locked on the creature. The Doctor turned toward her, teeth gritted. " _Chesterton._ "

Jan ducked and ran down the opposite hallway, the creature that had spoken swiveling to watch her.

" _FI-RE._ "

Another creature aimed its weapon and shot Jan with a blue surge of light and electricity, sending her to the ground in a sprawling mess. Susan cried out, hiding in the Doctor's arms again. But Jan moved after a moment, shakily pushing herself up with her arms. She tried several times to crawl to her knees, but kept falling, arms shaking. The creature rolled forward.

" _STOP! YOUR- LEGS- HAVE- BEEN- TEMPO-RARILY- PARALYZED_ ," it rolled itself so it blocked off the rest of the hallway, " _YOU- WILL- RECOVER- SHORTLY- IF- YOU- COM-PLY. CONTINUE- TO- RESIST- AND- THE- CONDITION- WILL- BE- PERMANENT._ "

It came back, and Susan felt the thing prod her shoulder with its plunger. " _YOU- TWO. HELP- HER._ "

The Doctor squeezed Susan's shoulders, whispering, "Quickly, child, quickly. It's going to be alright."

" _NOW._ "

They rushed past the creatures to kneel beside Jan, who had struggled onto her back, propping herself up on her elbows. Susan had never seen her look this scared.

"We're going to help you up, okay?" she said in her most comforting voice, though it was shaking so hard she didn't think it would help. "Okay, give us your arms, Miss Chesterton, we'll help you up."

Silently, eyes glazed over, Jan pushed herself into a sitting position and let Susan and the Doctor wrap their arms around her midsection, draping her arms over their shoulders. "C'mon, Miss Chesterton, you've got to help us," Susan tried to encourage. Jan's mouth fell open slightly.

"Susan," her voice was weak, "I can't feel my legs."

 

* * *

 

Barbara heard noise from outside, and looked up when the door opened.

"Miss Wright!" it was Susan.

Her eyes went wide. "Susan! Doctor, Jan, you- you're alright!" she cried in relief, rushing over to them, "You are... you are alright, yes?"

"Barbara," Jan said, smiling as the Doctor and Susan helped her sit down with her back against the wall, " _Barbara_ , I'm so happy to see you. We've been looking all over, are you safe, did they hurt you?"

Kneeling down next to her, Barbara's brow began to knit with worry. "No, I'm fine. Still a little ill, but I'm fine. Did they hurt _you_?" she pushed Jan's hair back off her forehead, realizing suddenly how pale she was, "Jan... Jan, look at me," she gently held either side of Jan's face, thumb running comforting lines over her cheekbone. "Are you alright?"

She was silent for a second, then looked up at Barbara and smiled, leaning into her touch. "Yes, I'm alright. Don't worry."

"She tried to run," Susan blurted out, and Barbara's mouth fell open, "They paralyzed her."

"Oh, God," Barbara was shushed before she could start to fuss, Jan gently touching her wrist.

"It's okay, really. They said it's only temporary as long as I don't try and run again," she explained with an amused smirk. Barbara couldn't do anything but laugh, though she knew there was nothing funny about the situation. "Barbara, what happened to you? We went to look for you, and you'd disappeared."

She lowered her hands to her lap, sighing. "Those things trapped me inside, I think all the buildings are connected. They kept opening doors... probably to lure me in. And I kept going through doorways until they found me and took me down here. We've got to be miles underground, or else that lift is just impeccably slow," she glanced up at the ceiling as a chill ran down her spine, "This place... it's so _strange_. There's no _stairs_ , not even any steps. Or furniture."

"My pocket watch agrees with you, young lady," the Doctor said, resting with her back against the wall similar to Jan. "We're seven to eight miles under the surface of the city, leaning closer to the eight side."

"Christ..." Barbara's chin fell to her chest.

"Barbara, did you see any way we might be able to escape when they were bringing you down here?" Jan asked, using all her strength to squeeze Barbara's shoulder comfortingly.

She shook her head. "No, I- I tried to look, I really did, but- I was so terribly giddy and ill... I still _am_ , they must've drugged me."

Susan coughed awkwardly, pacing the room. Jan took Barbara's hand.

"Actually, ah-" she looked up at Susan, who nodded solemnly, "They didn't drug you. The TARDIS didn't read the radiation properly, and... we've been exposed to massive amounts of radiation for hours. That's why we're feeling so awful, it's poisoning us."

To everyone's shock, including her own, Barbara didn't get upset. She sighed in resignation. "Well I suppose that's just one more thing on the list, eh?" she flopped down next to Jan, sitting cross legged, "Jan, what _are_ those things?"

"I've no idea. Robots, I assume," she said. The Doctor coughed. Barbara played with a loose string on her shirt.

"This is going to sound daft, but... what if they're not just machines," she said, slowly testing the waters. Susan laughed out loud from the other side of the room. "It's just a suggestion!"

"No, no, it's a perfectly good suggestion!" Susan giggled, "I'm just imagining a little man inside there controlling the thing like Fred Flinstone!"

"See _that_ reference I understand," Jan gave a knowing look to Susan, chuckling at the imagery.

"But if you say we've got radiation poisoning, how could anyone live here, even inside armor like that?" Barbara cut back in, still thinking about the creatures. The Doctor cleared her throat and they looked at her, watching her dab at her forehead with her handkerchief.

"You've a point, Miss Wright," her voice was weak, hoarse, "Unless that armor protects them from the radiation. Or they are immune to it themselves."

"But _we_ aren't immune to it, grandmother," Susan said, joining the others at the wall, though she didn't sit down. Barbara's vision blurred in and out like she was trying to focus binoculars as she turned toward the Doctor.

"Doctor..." she started, "How much longer can we go in this radiation?"

The Doctor gave a pathetic shrug. "I'd say... give or take another six hours."

"And what happens after six hours?"

"To put it simply... we die."

 

* * *

 

The prisoners were all slumped against the wall, save for the youngest, who was pacing the room anxiously. The grainy blue security screen didn't show it very well, but it was obvious they were sweating, eyes drooping, and the oldest one was coughing every so often.

A door opened behind him.

Spinning, the security chief looked his second in command up and down with his eye stalk. " _YOU- HAVE- A- REPORT?_ " he asked. The question was met with a _yes_ , the eye piece rotating.

" _RADI-ATION- LEVELS- ARE- REPORTED- AT- EIGHT- THOUSAND- FIF-TY- TWO,_ " he said. The security chief turned away, attention back on the prisoners. " _THIS- IS- AN- IMPROVEMENT. THE- LAST- OBSERVED- COUNT- CAME- IN- AT- OVER- NINE- THOUSAND._ "

" _AN- IMPRESSIVE- REDU-CTION_ ," the security chief agreed, though he was only half-listening. The tall woman that had tried to run was already attempting to stand again; of course she couldn't, but the fact that she was even _trying..._

" _DOES- THIS- NOT- PLEASE- YOU_?" he rolled forward, peering at the screen from beside the security chief, who rotated his eye stalk back to look at him.

" _IT- IS- STILL- ENOUGH- TO- DESTROY_ ," he flipped his eye back to the screen again, " _THE- PRISONERS- ARE- ALREADY- SHOWING- SIGNS- OF- SICK-NESS_."

" _THE- THALS- HAVE- LIVED- ON- THE- SURFACE- FOR- YEARS... COULD- THEIR- SOLUTION- TO- THE- RADI-ATION- BE- FAILING?_ " he asked, and moved back several feet when the security chief spun around and started rolling the length of the room, pacing. Finally, after great deliberation, he stopped.

" _BRING- THE- OLD- WOMAN- THAL- TO- THE- INTERRO-GATION- CELL. WE- WILL- KNOW- WHY- THEY- ARE- HERE- SOON._ "

At the word, the second in command rotated his eye piece and turned, opening the door and entering the cell. The security chief watched on the screen as the young girl jumped back in fear, holding a satchel like a shield, and crying when the old woman was forced to her feet and out of the room.

" _YOU- WILL- COME- WITH- ME_ ," the security chief ordered, opening the door and leading her down the hall. Several doors down, he pushed the woman into the interrogation cell with her weapon, entering behind her and closing the door.

In the fluorescent lights, her distorted image looked worse than it had on the screen. She was sweating, jacket discarded back on the holding cell floor, and her hair had been tousled and was hanging in her eyes. The security chief advanced on her, and she let her back hit the wall, sliding to sit on the floor.

" _YOU- WILL- STAND_ ," he commanded. The old woman had the audacity to shake her head, " _IMM-EDIATELY._ "

"I will do no such thing. Can't you speak to me where I am? That camera on a stick on your face does move, doesn't it?" she rasped. The security chief felt almost _offended_ at her words. He'd never encountered such brazenness from a _Thal_ before.

" _YOU- WILL- SIT- ON- THE- FLOOR,_ " he switched the command, though in retrospect, it probably sounded more like an agreement to her terms. The old woman looked satisfied. " _DO- NOT- MOVE- OUT- OF- THE- LIGHT._ "

"Believe me, I don't plan on moving any time soon," she said. The security chief turned and opened the door, letting his second in command enter behind him. "Ah, there's two of you now. Hello again, I believe you brought me here." The little wave she gave was insulting.

" _YOU- WILL- SPEAK- WHEN- SPOKEN- TO_ ," the security chief snapped, rolling to the right of the woman as the second in command rolled to her left, " _YOU- WILL- ANSWER- OUR- QUESTIONS._ "

"To the best of my ability, yes I will, I suppose," the woman agreed, coughing into a square of fabric.

" _WHERE- DID- YOU- COME- FROM?_ "

She pointed. "Up on the mountains, in the forest. We took a path down here."

" _HOW- MANY- OF- YOU- LIVE- IN- THE- FO-REST_ _?_ "

"I beg your pardon? None of us live in the forest," she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, hacking several pathetic coughs.

" _LIES- WILL- NOT- BE- TOLERATED,_ " the second in command warned, " _ANSWER- TRUTH-FULLY._ "

The old woman gave them a weak glare. "I _am_ answering truthfully."

" _WHY- ARE- YOU- SUFFERING- FROM- RADI-ATION- SICKNESS- NOW?_ " the security chief finally demanded. The old woman looked baffled, perhaps annoyed.

"Because we didn't _know_ about the radiation until just a few minutes ago, you dull creature!"

" _LIES. THE- THAL- HAVE- LIVED- ON- THE- SURFACE- FOR- YEARS_ ," the old woman's confusion only seemed to grow at the security chief's response, " _YOU- WILL- TELL- US. HOW- HAVE- THE- THAL- SURVIVED?_ "

She stammered nonsense for several seconds. "I don't know what you're _talking_ about, what is a 'Thal'!?"

" _DO- NOT- FEIGN- INNOCENCE. HOW- HAVE- YOU- SURVIVED?_ "

The security chief's eye stalk bobbed up and down as he watched her search for some sort of answer, features drawn up and perplexed. "I don't know what you _mean_ , we're not- I don't know what a _Thal_ is, and whatever it is, I'm not one of them, and we won't be surviving for much longer if we don't get medical treatment. _Please._ We're _dying_."

Looking from each other then back to the old woman, the two rolled and switched places. " _WAS- IT- A- DRUG?_ "

"A..." the woman shook her head, pressing her fingers to the bridge of her nose, "A _drug?_ No, we've no protection from the radiation! What are you _asking_ me?"

" _YOU- HAVE- MANY- CHEM-ISTS- WHO- COULD- MANU-FACTURE- A- DRUG- TO- PROTECT- YOU- FROM- THE- RADI-ATION. HAVE- YOU- SALVAGED- PIECES- OF- THE- FO-REST?_ "

"NO! We just want to _leave!_ " she cried, "We need to go back to my TARDIS and get _off_ this bloody rock before all four of us _die!_ "

The security chief swiveled to look at his second in command. " _TAR-DIS?_ "

" _SHE- IS- BECOMING- DE-LERIOUS. HER- WORDS- MAKE- NO- SENSE_ ," he suggested. The security chief looked back at her, firing a short burst of electricity when she fell to her side.

" _STAY- IN- THE- LIGHT._ "

"What are the Thal?" she wheezed, crawling back up.

" _YOU- ARE- THE- THAL._ "

"Forest dwellers, eh? They live in the forest?"

" _WE- SUSPECT- YOU- LIVE- IN- THE- JUNGLE. WHY- DO- YOU- COME- TO- THE- CITY- NOW?_ "

The woman did more muttering, like she was formulating something in her head. "Drug. Drug? We have no drug. We're all terribly ill, except..." her eyes went wide, "Susan. Oh, Susan!"

" _WHAT- IS- A- SOO-SAN?_ "

"There was a- a- a- a box, a stony box left outside of my TARDIS, it was- it was-" she gestured with her hands, face contorted, "It was full of vials! Vials of liquid, we didn't know what was in them... salvaged part of the forest... hang on, the flowers! Susan is the only one who drank... that's _it!_ You brilliant creatures, it _was_ a drug!" she exclaimed, laughing aloud on a hoarse breath.

" _SO- YOU- CONFIRM- THE- THAL- USE- A- DRUG?_ " the security chief demanded. The old woman shrugged.

"I suppose I do!"

" _WHY- DOES- IT- FAIL- YOU- NOW? WHY- HAVE- YOU- COME- TO- THE- CITY?_ "

She shook her head. "No, no, you don't understand. None of us have _taken_ the drug, except my granddaughter. We didn't know why she wasn't suffering from the radiation sickness, but she's the only one that drank what was left outside of the TARDIS! You've got to let us go and get it from inside. You can keep a guard on us if you'd like, but we need that drug if we're going to live through the next hour."

The security chief and the second in command looked at each other again, thinking. Then they turned back to the old woman. " _WE- CAN- NOT- TRAVEL- OUTSIDE- OF- THE- CITY._ "

"Then... then keep three of us here and send one of us back to the TARDIS! They'll have to come back if you've got us here," she tried, and the security chief could see the desperation physically manifesting itself on her face. He pondered it for a moment.

" _PRO-VIDING- WHOEVER- YOU- SEND- UNDER-STANDS- THE- REST- OF- YOU- WILL- BE- HELD- RESPONSIBLE- FOR- THEIR- RETURN_ ," he said. The old woman nodded.

"Of course. Our lives will be in their hands."

" _THEN- WE- AGREE. TAKE- HER- BACK- TO- THE- HOLDING- CELL._ "

As the second in command forced her to her feet, she waved her arms around. "Wait, wait!"

" _WHAT?_ "

"Tell me something- something about these Thals. I need to know. Why do they live in the forest? Why do they need a drug to survive?"

" _YOU- DO- NOT- KNOW- YOUR- OWN- RACE?_ "

She sighed, slicking back her hair with her hands. "Just- humor me. Please."

After a brief moment of hesitation, the security chief relented. " _FIVE- HUNDRED- YEARS- AGO- THE- THALS... YOU... AND- THE- DALEKS... WE... ENGAGED- IN- THE- NEUTRONIC- WAR._ "

"Neutronic war?"

" _WE- SUR-VIVED- AND- RETREATED- INTO- THE- CITY. THE- THALS- WERE- DESTROYED- BY- THE- RADI-ATION._ "

The old woman shook her head. "But they still live in the forest?"

The security chief rotated his eye piece. " _THERE- WERE- SOME- SUR-VIVORS. FEW. THE- ONES- WHO- SUR-VIVED- AND- WENT- ON- TO- LIVE... THEY- SHOULD- BE- HORR-IBLY- MUTATED- BY- THE- RADI-ATION._ "

"But they've got this drug that preserves their life force, yes?" she asked. The security chief shoved her backwards with his weapon. "Alright, alright, I understand. But... you know these mutated... _creatures_ are out there lurking in the forest, and you're willing to send one of us, unguarded, out there?"

" _AS- YOU- SAY. YOUR- LIVES- DEPEND- ON- IT._ "

 

* * *

 

"Okay, I'll let you go on three. One... two... _three!_ "

Susan jumped back with her arms up, watching Jan try and balance, but not even a second after, she teetered forward and Susan had to grab her to stop her falling flat on her face again. She helped her back against the wall, smiling sadly. "Want to try again? Maybe you just need to... to lock your knees a little better."

"No. Susan, I feel ill," Jan's eyes crossed and just a second too late, Susan realized she was falling over. She found her lap suddenly full of her science teacher. Carefully, Susan slid her hand under Jan's head and helped her sit back up, pushing strands of her hair off her sweaty forehead.

"Is the feeling coming back anymore?" she asked hopefully, hearts skipping a beat when Jan didn't answer. She pried her eyes open with her fingers, "Miss Chesterton? Stay awake, will you?"

"Sorry, Susan. Sorry."

"Has it come back any further than your hips?" Susan tried again, and Jan rubbed her hands up and down her thighs.

"Just a little bit. Sort of tingly. Like when you fall asleep on your hand," she paused, then groaned, wrapping one arm around her midsection and covering her mouth with her other hand. "Susan," she mumbled, her hand muffling her voice, "Empty my satchel, would you?"

Susan crawled over to where she'd left the satchel, emptying the contents onto the floor. She then handed it over to Jan, who promptly threw up.

When she was done, Susan saw she'd flushed red across her pale face. "I'm sorry. This is... quite undignified."

That almost made Susan _laugh_. "Miss Chesterton, it's alright. You're ill. Miss Wright, you're still with us?" Susan walked on her knees to where Barbara was lying on her back, peering over her in concern, "Miss Wright?"

Barbara made a dull sound of confirmation, lolling her head to the side. Susan put a hand on her cheek and tilted her head up, seeing a track of blood down the side of Barbara's face that trickled out of her nose and had begun to pool on the floor. Susan quickly retrieved one of the spare pairs of socks from the pile on the ground, mopping it off her cheek.

"Miss Wright, can you sit up?" she asked, pinching her nose with the sock, though in the back of her head she knew it wasn't going to help. Barbara groaned, but let Susan help her into a sitting position, dragging her back to sit against the wall.

The door whooshed open, making Susan jump and turn around.

"Grandmother!" she gasped, running forward to catch her as she dropped to her knees. "Grandmother, are you alright!? Did they hurt you!?"

"D _oc_ tor?" Jan blinked herself awake, leaning forward, "Doctor, you're back!"

"What happened?" Barbara didn't move or open her eyes, but she'd obviously spoken. Susan helped the Doctor sit down, stroking her hair soothingly.

"Grandmother, what happened? Are you okay?" Susan repeated, earning a pat to the cheek.

"In due time, child. First..." she wheezed out a pathetic cough, resting her head against the wall, "The box. With the vials. You remember it, yes?"

Susan shrugged. "Of course I do. What about them?"

The Doctor opened her eyes and made a weak gesture. "I believe they may have been an anti-radiation serum. The creatures that captured us... they seem eager to get ahold of it."

"Anti-radiation?" Barbara hummed, finally opening her eyes and crawling toward Susan and the Doctor. Susan moved so she could sit against the wall again. "Do you think it could... could help us? Or..."

"I think it could," the Doctor said. Susan's mind was racing a mile a minute. "Susan, the tests you ran..."

She nodded, snapping her fingers. "I took a sip. That must be why I'm not affected by the radiation like you all are."

"I concluded the same thing," the Doctor had a vague look of pride on her face as she coughed again, "Susan, the Daleks have agreed to allow one of us to return to the TARDIS and retrieve the vials. They can't send a guard, they're unable to leave the city."

Barbara flung her hand in the air like she was in class. "I've a question. What in the _hell_ is a Dalek? Did I hear you right? Dalek?"

"You heard me right, I said Dalek," the Doctor used what looked like half of her strength to grab her shirt like her lapels were still there, "Our captors. Oh, and whoever is going to retrieve the vials needs to watch out for this mutant race called the Thals."

Jan snorted. "That's an awfully silly name."

"They live in the forest. Ah! I nearly forgot," the Doctor sat forward and patted Susan on the cheek again, "I was right! About the neutron bomb. The Daleks and the Thals were engaged in a neutronic war, and this city was built as an underground sanctuary."

"The Thals live on the surface, then?" Jan hummed to herself, "Ah, yes, that would explain the mutants part. Suppose I'll go back to the TARDIS. Get the drug."

"Jan, you can't walk," Barbara lolled her head over to look at Jan, who was struggling to roll herself over onto her stomach, "For pity's sake, you can't even stand! I'll go. Save us all some trouble."

"Miss Wright, you were comatose a few minutes ago," Susan shook her head, grabbing another sock when she noticed Barbara's other nostril had started to drip blood, "Grandmother, you're in no shape either."

"Nonsense, I'm fit as a fiddle," she didn't move, just stayed against the wall. Susan put her hand to her grandmother's forehead, sighing in resignation.

"No, you're burning up. All of you are," Susan squared her shoulders and stood up, "I'm going."

The chorus of ' _NO!_ ' shocked Susan back a few steps, hearts pounding. "I don't like it any more than you, but I'm going to have to! None of you could make the hike up in time, if you could even make it out of the city! I'm going."

"Susan, just help me up, I'll be able to walk this time!" Jan snapped, waving her arms around like a petulant child, "You can't go alone, not with those creatures out there!"

The door opened.

" _YOU- MUST- LEAVE- NOW,_ " one of the Daleks they'd seen before said, rolling into the room and looking at Susan. Jan huffed out a sigh.

"She can't go alone. I'm going with her."

Susan walked toward the Dalek. "No, Miss Chesterton, I'm going to be fine."

" _YOU- ARE- THE- ONE- WHO- LEAVES?_ " the Dalek asked, eye stalk looking her up and down. Susan nodded firmly. " _VERY- WELL. FOLLOW- ME._ "

"NO!" Barbara cried, jerking herself forward onto her hands and knees, "You can't let her go alone, she's just a child!"

"All of you, _stop it!_ I'm already afraid, you're not making it any better!" Susan shouted, tears springing into her eyes. "I'm going to be alright! You've got to trust me!"

The room was silent for a moment, before the Dalek prodded Susan in the back. She stiffened, jaw clenching tight, hands in fists at her sides. "I can do this."

" _COME- WITH- ME._ "

"Susan, keep going, never look back!" the Doctor's voice faded as Susan was led out the door, "Don't stop for anything! You're braver than you could ever think!"

Her grandmother's voice was cut short by the door, and Susan looked the Dalek square in the eye.

"Take me back to the surface."

 

* * *

 

The prisoners had barely moved since the girl was taken to the edge of the city.

" _THE- CHILD- HAS- SET- OUT,_ " the security post reported, hovering in the doorway as he waited for a response. The security chief turned, eye stalk bobbing up and down.

" _YOU- PUT- THE- TRACKER- ON- HER- FOR- THE- MACHINES- TO- FOLLOW?_ " he asked, earning a quick _yes_ in response. He turned back to the screen, watching the old woman fall over onto her side. " _GOOD. WATCH- HER- MOVEMENTS- CARE-FULLY. SHE- WILL- TRY- TO- CONTACT- THE- OTHER- THAL- IN- THE- FOREST._ "

" _WILL- THE- PRISO-NERS- BE- PERMITTED- TO- USE- THE- DRUG- ONCE- SHE- RETURNS?_ " the post asked, rolling a bit closer to the security chief, who spun to look at him.

" _THE- PRISO-NERS- WILL- DIE- SOON... IF- NOT- BE-FORE- SHE- RETURNS. THE- ONLY- PURPOSE- THIS- SERVES- IS- TO- BRING- US- THE- DRUG- TO- CLONE. THIS- IS- OUR- CHANCE- AT- FREE-DOM._ "

 

* * *

 

"You need to... to stay awake, Jan, c'mon," Barbara shook Jan's shoulder with a weak, clammy hand, touching her face and feeling how hot it was. "You're burning up."

" _You're_ burning up," Jan murmured, voice dry and weak. Barbara let out a pathetic half-laugh, knocking her head against the wall to try and keep herself from passing out. Jan shifted in her lap, coughing. Barbara tangled her fingers in her hair again, groaning. "Doctor?" Jan called. This time, there was no response. "I'm gonna go check on her..."

Barbara squirmed out from under her, crawling forward. " _I'm_ going to check on her..." she struggled over to the Doctor, forcing her eyes to stay open as she rested her hands on her chest, feeling two distinct heartbeats that were far too fast for comfort. "She's just as hot as us. Do you think... do you think she's _supposed_ to have two hearts?"

"Feeling double as well as seeing it?" Jan was obviously going for humor, but it fell short as Barbara situated herself back against the wall.

"It's... my species," the Doctor's voice barely came out above a whisper, "We've got two hearts."

"Fascinating," Jan said, eyes rolling back in her head as she went limp across Barbara's lap, "I don't know how much longer I can stay awake."

"We've got to. We've _got_ to," Barbara gazed up at the ceiling, "Susan could be back any minute."

 

* * *

 

Without the others to slow her down, Susan found herself half way up the mountain trail in less than an hour, though she'd been forced to activate her respiratory bypass from running so hard.

She stopped, leaning against a boulder, and stared up at the rest of the mountain, squaring her shoulders and taking off again in a sprint.

Behind her, the sky was getting dark, and she could hear unearthly, evil sounding thunder booming in the distance.

The trail got steeper, and she pressed on.

 

* * *

 

Barbara had started to notice an electric humming in the air the longer the silence went on, though she wasn't completely sure the noise wasn't entirely in her head.

She could barely open her eyes, and when she did the world looked as though she were staring through a nightmarish kaleidoscope, distorted and impossible to look at. Her head _pounded_ , every bone in her body crying out in pain. She could feel her nose bleeding on and off, and if she'd been in a proper state of mind she would've been concerned about how much blood she was losing.

Jan's hand was in her own, head resting on her lap. Every once in a while, she'd either drag herself a few feet away to throw up, or would try and move her legs. Both were equally uncomfortable for Barbara, who just wanted everything to be still.

Unfortunately, the second things _were_ still, her brain kicked into panic mode, and she used all her strength to slap Jan's cheek several times. "You're still alive?" she croaked, throat drier than it had ever been before. Jan gave a noise in response. "Okay."

"Doctor?" Jan asked, and they both felt a tiny bit of relief when they got a similar noise of confirmation. After a minute, Jan sighed. "She's been gone so long."

"Do you think she's coming back?" Barbara murmured, finding herself absently weaving her fingers through Jan's hair. The Doctor huffed out a weak breath.

"She's coming back. She's got to come back."

Silence fell again, for a longer stretch this time. Barbara found herself drifting in and out of a dizzy, uncomfortable state of unconsciousness, jolting herself awake every few seconds.

Then, out of nowhere, Jan started to cry.

Barbara couldn't find the strength to say anything, she just listened in pain as Jan choked out wheezing sobs, rolling over on her lap and grabbing her hand. All she could do was drape her arms over her and try not to cry herself.

"I'm so _scared_ , Barbara," Jan gasped, and Barbara felt her nose start to drip blood again. "We're going to die here, we're going to die. I'm so sorry, _I'm so sorry-_ "

"Susan's coming back, Jan. She's coming back, and we're going to be fine," Barbara's voice was hoarse, but steady. Her hand ached as Jan held it tighter. "We're going to be fine."

 

* * *

 

Before she'd even managed to reach the top of the cliff, it began pouring rain.

Susan was drenched to the bone, slipping and crawling over rocks as she neared the rougher part of the trail. Lightning made the mountain shake, sending Susan to her hands and knees more times than she could count; her pants had ripped in several places and her hands were caked with wet sand and pebbles.

Breathing hard, she finally managed to drag herself up over the edge of the cliff and onto flat ground, lying on her back with the rain pelting down on her. Another lightning crack lit up the city below, and Susan clenched her fists to stop herself from crying in fear.

She shoved herself to her feet with the help of another boulder, and stumbled forward through the rocky maze that led to the jungle. It was so dark she could barely see two feet in front of her, using the flashes of lightning and her hands on the sides of the rocks to figure out where she was going.

The next lightning flash revealed she'd reached the edge of the jungle.

It was dark, even darker than the mountains, and the trees loomed above her like a gaping mouth ready to swallow her up. Susan didn't know if her cheeks were wet more from the rain or from her own tears. She steeled herself and started to make her way through the jungle.

 

* * *

 

"Keep going..." Barbara breathed, crying as she felt the burn marks on her skin starting to stretch and grow deeper. Jan was quiet, for just long enough that Barbara thought she might have passed out, but then she gasped awake again and her head moved. "Jan... _please._ Tell me... more about... about Lucille Ball."

The breath Jan let out could barely be classified as a laugh, but the idea was there. "You mean the actress?"

"I mean your cat," Barbara urged, "It's keeping... keeping me awake."

"My cat... hmm..." Jan went limp again, then a quiet groan turned into a scream of pain as burn marks similar to Barbara's started to patch up on her jaw. She thrashed, and curled into a ball, knees drawn to her chest. "Barbara, it _hurts..._ "

Barbara opened her eyes for a split second, watching the room spin and zoom, but she managed a soft smile. "Look- look on the bright side!" she wheezed out a laugh that made her whole body spike with pain, "You've gotten movement back in your legs!"

 

* * *

 

The security chief watched the screen carefully, waiting for any sort of movement from the prisoners. It had been nearly five minutes since the last time one of them even made an attempt to move, and their vital signs were looking... rather disappointing on the monitor.

A door opened, and he turned to see a lower ranked security guard entering.

" _YOUR- SECOND- IN- COMMAND- WOULD- LIKE- TO- KNOW- THE- STATUS- OF- THE- PRISONERS,_ " he said, obviously waiting for permission to look at the screen. When the security chief rolled to the side, he approached. " _IT- SEEMS- THE- OLD- WOMAN- IS- DY-ING._ "

" _THERE- IS- NOTHING- WE- CAN- DO- FOR- HER. SHE- WILL- DIE_ ," the security chief said, forcing him to back away from the screen. " _THE- TWO- YOUNG- WOMEN- HAVE- BEEN- FIGH-TING- AGAINST- IT. BUT- THEY- WILL- DIE- TOO._ " He turned away from the screen and back toward the other Dalek. " _WHAT- IS- THE- STATUS- OF- THE- YOUNG- GIRL? HAS- SHE- REACHED- THE- FOREST?_ "

His eye piece rotated. " _BUT-_ _THE- STORM- HAS- DAMAGED- THE- TRACKER. WE- LOST- HER- AT- THE- EDGE- OF- THE- TREES._ "

" _THAT- DOES- NOT- MATTER- ANY-MORE_ ," the security chief said, looking back toward the footage of the prisoners. " _SHE- WILL- RETURN- FOR- HER- FRIENDS._ "

 

* * *

 

Susan slammed the door of the TARDIS and fell to her knees.

The room hummed in response, lights getting softer and air warming up. Susan looked up and smiled, crawling to her feet and running her hand over the console. "Thank you," she said softly, closing her eyes for just a second.

Then she drummed her hands on the edge of the console and dashed down the hall to her lab, which was conveniently closer than it had been the night before. And right there, on the table where she'd left it, was the box of vials. She flipped the lid back and counted how many there were, then took the one she'd drank from and tossed it back, finishing off the sticky liquid and putting the empty vial back in the box.

She closed it and stuffed it in a bag, slinging that over her shoulder and heading back out to the control room, where the TARDIS had left one of the wall panels open to reveal a cup of tea.

Susan sighed, patting the wall. "I can't stay. But I'll be back."

Turning on her heel, with more confidence than she'd had on the way here, Susan tucked the string with her TARDIS key back into her shirt and headed back out into the jungle.

Less than five feet out the door, she stopped and screamed.

There was a tall figure looming in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, "yeah, babey!" said no one, because this was not good


	3. The Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeehaw back at it again with part 3! shoutout to susan for being extremely gay for every single alien she meets
> 
> i cant FUCKING believe i wrote over 10000 words for one fucking chapter of this dumbass self indulgent fanfic........ i really am That Bitch
> 
> og script from here!! http://www.chakoteya.net/DoctorWho/1-2.htm

Susan backed up to the door of the TARDIS, shrinking down in fear.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice wavering, and the next lightning flash showed Susan a glimpse of a shock of blonde hair and what looked like a humanoid face. It took a step forward, making Susan jump back. "What do you want!?"

The silhouette of the thing crouched down to her level, and Susan cried out in fear. "Don't be afraid," it said, lifting one of its hands in the same way one would to try and attract a cat, "I won't hurt you."

Even crouching, the creature towered over Susan. Holding the strap of the satchel close to her chest, Susan crawled back another foot. "What do you want!?" she repeated, lifting the bag to use like a shield, "Tell me, what do you want!?"

"Please, don't be afraid."

Susan reached up with her key and unlocked the TARDIS door, letting the light flood out and illuminate the area. She gasped. What she'd been cowering away from was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen in her life.

She was tall, taller than even Miss Chesterton would be, with muscular, slender limbs and gentle hands reached out toward Susan. She had dark skin and blonde hair that spiraled out in dense curls to form a sort of halo about her head. Her face was soft, all cheekbones and chiseled features, almond shaped eyes peering at Susan with fascination and tenderness.

Mouth hanging open, Susan crawled forward. "But- they said you-" she shook her head, "You were... you were supposed to be- to be mutated," she couldn't stop herself from smiling, "You're not! You're- you're beautiful, you're... you're _perfect._ "

The woman laughed, a sound like bells, and held out a hand to help Susan stand. "Thank you, young one. I tried to speak to you in the woods yesterday, but I believe I frightened you. I'm very sorry."

"It's alright," Susan said, rubbing the back of her neck, "I'm sure you didn't mean to frighten me."

"I'm glad to see you've returned. I came to make sure you knew how to use the serum I left for you," she reached forward and pulled Susan's bag open to see the box, "I see you've got it. Where are your friends? There were for of you, the last I saw."

"They're in the city, they're very sick. We didn't know how toxic the atmosphere was until we saw the Geiger counter in the city, I came back so-"

The woman silenced Susan with a gesture of her hand, immaculate brow furrowing. "You mean to say you haven't drank the serum yet?" her voice betrayed anxiety. Susan shook her head. "Oh, you must. You must _immediately._ "

" _I've_ taken it, I wanted to see what it was. But the others-" she shook her head quickly, "We were all taken prisoner in the city, you see, I have to go back to-"

"Prisoner?" the woman asked, "What do you mean you were taken prisoner? Who has taken you prisoner?"

Susan glanced around, confused. "Well... surely you know about the Daleks."

The woman looked shocked, laughing to herself and crossing her arms under the great cloak that sat on her shoulders. "So the Daleks _did_ survive... And you say they live in the city? But that doesn't make any sense, we've been inside the city countless times, surely we would've _seen_ -"

"They mostly live _under_ the city," Susan explained, jumping when lightning cracked above, "They want the serum too. I think that's why they let me leave."

"Why should the Daleks want the serum? Have they not found a way to survive on their own?" she asked, pursing her lips, "This is very strange."

"I know. Look, my friends are _very_ sick, I need to get this serum back to them," Susan said, going to close the TARDIS door again. The woman stopped her, looking concerned.

"Wait. Once you return, how do you know the Daleks won't simply take the serum and let your friends die? If they want it so bad, that's the course of action that makes sense," she said. Susan stopped, shoulders dropping.

"I hadn't... I hadn't even thought about that," she murmured.

"Do you trust them? The Daleks?"

Susan sighed. "No. I mean- I don't know. But what you said makes so much sense. I can't believe I didn't realize it myself."

The woman put her hand under Susan's chin and lifted it, a smile on her face. Then, from inside her cloak, she pulled four more vials and put them in Susan's hands. "I brought another supply of the serum, just in case. You've got to hide this one as best as you can. If the Daleks take the ones in your bag, you'll still have these for your friends," she stood back up as Susan stared in awe at the liquid.

"Thank you!" Susan breathed, then tucked the vials into her bag with the others. "I'll put them in my bra when I get back to the city. Thank you, thank you so much, Miss- uh..." Susan looked her up and down, "I'm sorry, what is your name?"

The woman dropped to her knee with her arm crossed over her chest, bowing her head. "I am Alydon of the Thal," when she looked back up, Susan was giving her a similar bow that made her laugh. "What shall I call you, young one?"

"I'm Susan," she held out a hand, "It's a pleasure. I've really got to go, though."

"Of course," Alydon nodded swiftly, following as Susan slammed the TARDIS door shut and headed back into the forest, "May I escort you back to the outer wall of the city?"

Susan sighed in relief. "I was hoping you'd say that. Yes, please do."

Alydon unclipped the fastener at her neck and swung the cloak off her shoulders, draping it over Susan. "You're shivering. Take this."

"Oh!" Susan snuggled under the cloak, "Thank you!"

As they started down the mountain, the rain began to let up, making it easier to navigate the trail down. Susan found Alydon catching her from slipping several times in strong arms, and her hearts skipped beats.

"So, uh-" Susan let Alydon help her over a particularly slippery part of the trail, "The Daleks told us about the neutronic war."

"Yes," Alydon nodded, picking Susan up under the arms and placing her on the other side of a break in the trail. "Our clan, in the forest, we're the only Thal survivors. Up until now, we've only suspected the Daleks had survived as well."

Susan hummed, squinting at the horizon where it had started to glow pink with the rising of the sun. "And... well, how'd you manage to make this serum?"

"The Daleks had been using radioactive warfare for quite some time, it was long in the making. We'd only just perfected it before the bomb took out most of the life on the planet," Alydon explained, and Susan felt her cheeks heating up as she watched her swiftly vault over a boulder. It was one of the most elegant things she'd ever seen. "With the serum, we managed to preserve a small part of the forest. We've been trying to bring life back to other parts, but the flowers are all that will grow."

"And the flowers are in the serum, yes?" Susan asked. Alydon nodded, holding her hand as she stepped over the boulder.

"That is why they grow. They are immune to the radiation. Careful," she aided Susan over another rough spot.

Susan was almost reluctant to let go of her hand. "Thank you."

Alydon stared off at the quickly rising sun over the city, weaving her slender fingers through the mist. "It's been so long since I've seen the city..." she murmured. Susan looked at its silhouette against the pink and purple of the morning sky. From here, it looked so... _beautiful._ "I wonder if the Daleks have seen us. They couldn't have, could they?"

"Seen you?" Susan asked, adjusting the strap of her bag. Alydon hummed.

"They couldn't have... If they believe _us_ to have been mutated by the radiation... I can't imagine what _they_ look like."

 

* * *

 

The security chief shut the door and rolled back toward the display screen, watching the girl run to her friends in tears and produce the second box of vials with fumbling hands.

" _DO- YOU- SEE- THE- CLOAK- SHE- WORE?_ " he asked.

His second in command gazed at the screen, eye stalk bobbing up and down. " _SHE- MADE- CON-TACT- WITH- THE- THAL._ "

" _PER-HAPS- SHE- WILL- LEAD- THE- THAL- TO- US..._ " the security chief almost felt joy, suctioning the box and handing it off to his second in command. " _TAKE- THIS- TO- THE- DALEK- SCIENTISTS. HAVE- THEM- BEGIN- THE- REPLI-CATION- PROCESS._ "

 

* * *

 

"There we are, grandmother, nice and easy," Susan helped the Doctor drink the content of the vial, hand behind her head. "There we go. Just lay back down, you'll feel better soon."

She turned around, sighing in relief when she saw the radiation burns had started to heal on Barbara and Jan's skin. They'd both sat up, Jan inspecting the vial and Barbara holding her free hand, head resting on her shoulder. Neither spoke. Susan crawled back toward them with a soft smile on her face, watching Jan touch the now clean part of Barbara's face where the burns had been a minute ago.

It was so... tender. Susan almost didn't want to interrupt. "How are the two of you feeling?" she asked anyway. Jan looked up at her, shaking her head in awe.

"Much better. My arms are tingling," she said, shaking out her hand. Susan smiled.

"Yes, Alydon said that would happen. It means the serum is fixing your insides of all the damage from the radiation," she explained, watching Barbara crawl toward her, and gasping slightly when she found herself pulled into a tight hug. After a second of surprise, she hugged back, burying her face in Barbara's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Thank you, Susan," Barbara whispered, "Thank you so, _so_ much. You saved our lives. All of us."

The Doctor spluttered and coughed behind them, making both jump. Susan turned, and slid on her knees to where her grandmother had sat up. "Grandmother, grandmother! Don't sit up, you're going to be alright! Take it slow."

"Susan..." she murmured, bringing a hand up to touch Susan's cheek, "Oh, child, you made it."

"I did, grandmother. I made it," Susan smiled, helping the Doctor lay back down, "Just rest for now. The serum is going to fix you right up."

"I forgot to tell you, Susan. The Daleks want the drug to clone, they won't let you use it," the Doctor said, grabbing Susan's hand, but she was shushed.

"No, no, it's okay! Alydon gave me a second box. We're going to be okay," she squeezed the Doctor's hand. Jan cleared her throat behind them, and Susan turned.

"So... this Alydon of yours. She gave you a whole 'nother box of the serum?" she asked. Susan nodded.

"Yes."

Jan's brow furrowed. "Surely the Daleks searched you."

"They did," Susan said, pulling Alydon's cloak toward her to play with it, "But... when they found the second box they let me keep it. It was strange. For a moment, I thought they were going to take both lots from me, but... then they seemed to change their minds, and gave it back."

"Hm," Jan struggled to her feet, stretching, "Oh, it feels good to be able to stand. That drug really is incredible, I'd love to know what's in it."

"As would I," the Doctor finally sat up properly, crawling into a sitting position, "Ah, it seems to be working. We'll go back to the ship as soon as we're all fit again."

Susan glanced to the door, then back at the Doctor again. "No, grandmother. We're still prisoners."

The Doctor looked surprised, like she'd forgotten ever meeting the Daleks in the first place. Then she sighed, sliding back to sit against the wall. "Ah. I suppose you're right. Well, we'll have to find a way to get out."

"And then we'll figure out how to help the Thal that live in the jungle," Susan nodded. Barbara made a noise. "What? They helped us, we need to help them!"

"Susan, we need to take this one step at a time," Barbara said, shaking her head, "We can think about how to help the Thal _after_ we help _ourselves_ get out of here. We can't think too far ahead. Besides, we don't know if there's anything we can do for them. The planet is _dead._ "

"And they'll be dead as well if we don't help!" Susan shot back, crossing her arms, "Alydon said if they don't find a new food source the whole lot of them will _starve_ to death!" she squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Listen, this is what Alydon told me..."

 

* * *

 

" _After the war the Thal managed to salvage a tiny bit of the jungle to grow their crops, but they've always been very careful, because it was their only source of food. But it doesn't usually rain this much, and it's been destroying their crops_ ," the girl looked among her group desperately, " _That's why the Thal are starting to leave the jungle. They were hoping the Daleks were alive, they want to make a peace treaty so all of them can work together and save what's left of the planet. They think the Daleks could supply them with food, and they can supply the Daleks with the serum._ "

The woman they'd paralyzed crossed her arms, pacing. " _But how can we talk the Daleks into this? And how will the Thal know if they agree? We can't exactly go anywhere._ "

" _See, Alydon said she'd wait at the edge of the city until sundown, and if we manage to get the Daleks on our side, we can send one of them with a note from me that invites the Thal into the city._ "

She kept talking, but the security chief shut the sound off, turning to his second in command, who was eagerly rolling back and forth.

" _THIS- CATASTROPHE- WILL- DESTROY- THE- THAL,_ " he said. But the security chief turned away.

" _NO..._ " he started, " _THEY- WILL- FIND- A- WAY- TO- SURVIVE. KEEPING- THE- PRISONERS- ALIVE- WAS- A- SMART- MOVE._ "

The second in command's eye stalk twitched up and down. " _AND- INVITING- THE- THAL- INTO- THE- CITY- IS- AN- EVEN- BETTER- ONE._ "

" _WITH- A- MESSAGE- IN- THE- CHILD'S- WRITING- THEY- WILL- THINK- WE- MEAN- PEACE_ ," the security chief headed back to the screen, watching the silent mouths of the prisoners move. " _FOR- NOW- WE- WILL- LET- THE- PRISONERS- BE. AND- GIVE- THEM- FOOD- AND- WA-TER. THEN- WE- WILL- QUES-TION- THEM- NOW- THAT- THEY- ARE- IN- A- CLEAR- STATE- OF- MIND._ "

" _WHY- NOT- QUE-STION- THEM- NOW?_ " the second in command asked. The security chief turned back to him, eye stalk bobbing.

" _THE- LAPSE- OF- TIME... THE- RELAX-ATION- OF- SLEEP... THE- PROVISION- OF- FOOD... THIS-_ _WILL- LURE- THEM- INTO- A- FALSE- SENSE- OF- SECURITY. THEY- WILL- TRUST- US._ "

 

* * *

 

The door whooshed open, and the four looked toward it. A Dalek was pushing a large metal box toward them.

" _WE- BRING- YOU- FOOD. WATER_ ," it said, backing a few feet away from the box so Susan could inspect it, " _YOU. CHILD- WHO- WENT- TO- THE- FOREST. COME- WITH- ME_."

"What?" Susan asked, sliding the box behind her toward Barbara, "Why?"

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Jan stepped in front of Susan protectively, looking prepared for a fight. The Dalek waggled its eye stalk.

" _WE- WILL- HELP- THE- THAL- AS- THEY- REQUEST. THE- CHILD- WILL- WRITE- THE- MESS-AGE._ "

Susan's face lit up. "You will!? Oh, lovely!" She touched Jan's shoulder, smiling. "It'll be alright, Miss Chesterton. Eat something, it'll make you feel better."

"Wait! Susan-" Jan grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close, leaning in to try and shield her voice from the Dalek, "How did they know about the message? About helping the Thal?"

She shrugged. "They've probably got security cameras," she said, then hugged Jan around the waist, "Stop worrying for just a minute. I'll be back soon."

" _YOU- WILL- FOLLOW- ME_ ," the Dalek led Susan into the hall, closing the door behind him.

In silence, Susan followed him down the hallway into a bright room with tables at waist-height, that had a sheet of paper and a long pen sitting alone on its surface. When the Dalek prodded her back with its plunger, she walked forward and knelt at the table.

" _WRITE- WHAT- I- SAY,_ " he commanded. Hesitantly, and with much less confidence now that she was alone with the Dalek, she picked up the pen and looked over her shoulder at him. He began to roll back and forth, almost like he was pacing. " _WE- HAVE- A- SUPPLY- OF- LIQUID- FOOD... AS- WELL- AS- WATER. WE- CAN- SUPPLY- YOU- WITH- FRESH- VEGETABLES- GROWN- IN- ARTIFICIAL- SUNLIGHT. WE-_ "

"Hang on!" Susan scribbled out the words with her tongue bitten between her teeth, "Artificial sunlight... okay. Continue."

" _WE- EXPECT- THAT-_ _IN- RETURN... THE- THAL- WILL- HELP- US- IN- THE- RE-CULT-IVATION- OF- THE- LAND- SURR-OUNDING- THE-_ " the security chief loomed over Susan, eye stalk zoomed on the paper, " _WHY- HAVE- YOU- STOPPED- WRI-TING?_ "

Susan shrugged, looking annoyed. "Well it seems a bit rude to say you _expect_ them to help you. I feel like-"

" _WE- DO- NOT- CARE- IF- WE- ARE- BE-ING- RUDE_ ," he shot back, " _WRITE- WHAT- I- HAVE- TOLD- YOU._ "

"Right, yeah, sorry," Susan turned back to the paper, writing out the rest of his sentence. "What next? Surrounding the what?"

" _THE- CI-TY. WE- ALSO- EXPECT- PERMI-SSION- TO- REPLICATE- THE- DRUG- USED- TO- SURVIVE- THE- RADI-ATION. YOU- WILL- END- THE- MESSAGE- THERE,_ " he stopped, watching her write. As soon as she'd put the pen down, he bumped her in the side. " _MOVE. I- WILL- INSPECT- WHAT- YOU- HAVE- WRITTEN._ "

Susan scooched to the side, letting the security chief inspect the letter. He was silent, then his eye stalk extended toward the paper. " _WHAT- IS- THIS- WORD?_ " he demanded. Susan looked, confused, to where the eye was pointing, " _THIS- WORD- HERE._ "

"The last one?" she pointed to it.

" _SOO- SAN_ ," when he said it, Susan let out a giggle, so he swung around and smacked her with his eye stalk, " _STOP- THAT- NOISE._ "

Rubbing her cheek where he hit her, Susan let out one last giggle. "It's my name. Susan. That's how you sign a letter."

" _YOU- TOLD- THE- THAL- YOU- WOULD- SIGN- THIS- LE-TTER?_ " he asked. Susan nodded. " _THEN- IT- IS- PERMITTED._ "

"Look, there's no need to be frightened of them. They're really very friendly people," she reassured him, standing and picking up the letter. The Dalek watched her carefully. "Are we going to take the letter to the edge of the city, then?"

" _I- WILL- TAKE- IT- TO- THE- THAL- THAT- WAITS- AT- THE- EDGE- OF- THE- CI-TY. YOU- WILL- RETURN- TO- YOUR- CELL,_ " he said, making Susan glare in annoyance.

"Excuse me? That's not fair. I wrote this," she said. The security chief rolled forward and suctioned it to his plunger.

" _AND- NOW- I- TAKE- IT. FOLLOW- ME_ ," without another word, he turned and opened the door, leading Susan back toward the cell. As he went to open that door, Susan noticed the screens, and walked toward them in fascination. When he saw her, the security chief swiveled around. " _DO- NOT- TOUCH- THAT._ "

"You _do_ have security cameras, then," Susan cupped her hands around one of the spheres, and Jan's voice came through the speakers.

" _...long are they going to keep her, Doctor?_ "

" _It's only been a few minutes,_ " Barbara's voice crackled, " _We shouldn't worry yet._ "

Susan crossed her arms, turning toward the security chief. "We knew you were listening to us. Watching us. Otherwise how would you know about the Thal wanting to make peace? And the letter? Very clever, we weren't able to see any security cameras. From that _angle..._ it's got to be above us, yes?"

" _RETURN- TO- THE- CELL- IMM-EDIATELY,_ " he turned and opened the door, watching Susan until she went inside. He picked the letter back up off the table to his right, rolling back. " _THREE- OTHER- DALEKS- WILL- WATCH- YOU- WHILE- I_ _\- TAKE- THIS- TO- THE- THAL- AT- THE- EDGE- OF- THE- CITY. DO- NOT- ATTEMPT- TO- ESCAPE._ "

And with that, he backed out and the door shut.

 

* * *

 

The sand stuck to Alydon's feet as she hurried through the forest, ducking under branches and vaulting over old fallen logs. In the early morning mist and faint light, she could see the outline of Ganatus crouching atop a mound of glass, watching D'yoni and Antodus inspect the blue ship the strangers had arrived in. Sliding to a stop, Alydon smiled, and Ganatus hopped off the glass to stand at eye level.

"Ganatus," she greeted, clapping an arm over her chest. Ganatus returned the gesture, bowing his head.

"Alydon. You were gone a long time, where'd you go?" he asked, posture relaxing. Alydon could see D'yoni pretending not to listen to the conversation from the other side of the ship. She didn't pay her any mind, producing the letter from her belt.

"I was in the dead city," she said. Ganatus tried to take the letter from her, but she pulled it out of his reach, "Where is Temmosus?"

"Here, Alydon," a man's voice came from behind the blue ship, and Alydon looked over to see Temmosus emerging and walking toward her, arms crossed over his chest. "You say you were in the city? What of the strangers you and Ganatus saw on last day?"

Alydon bowed, kneeling next to Temmosus as he sat down on the glass mound. "The girl we tried to speak to returned to the ship," she began, "In the middle of the storm. She was terrified of me at first, but she warmed up to me quickly."

"Only the girl?" Temmosus asked, brow furrowing, "What of the others?"

"The girl - Susan was her name - she was returning to retrieve the serum. Only she had drank from the vials, her friends were sick from the radiation," she glanced around, "And they were in the city. With the Daleks."

Temmosus sat back, eyes widening as he scratched his chin, and D'yoni came to sit next to Alydon, amazement on her face. "So the Daleks are alive?" she asked. Alydon nodded passing the letter to Temmosus, who opened it, but still stared at her.

"I told Susan of our proposed alliance with the Daleks, if they were alive, and she must've convinced them of it, because I was there only half a sun before some... _machine_ came and gave me this letter," she gestured at it, and Temmosus began reading. He raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. "We were right to believe the city was inhabited. I don't know what the machine was, but the Daleks must've made it."

"They seem eager to form an alliance," Temmosus said, folding the letter and resting it in his lap. There was a ghost of a smile on his face. "This is good. This letter seems quite demanding, but the speed of their response... I wonder what they're like, how they'll be disposed toward us."

Ganatus scoffed. "They are Daleks."

"Yes, but we've changed over the centuries, have we not? Who's to say the Daleks haven't as well?" Temmosus waved his hand dismissively, tracing his fingers over the letter, "The once famous warrior race of the Thals, now simple farmers."

"Well the Daleks were teachers, philosophers, historians... even _artists,_ were they not?" D'yoni chimed in, shrugging, "While we became peaceful, they may have become the warriors."

"She's right, Temmosus," Ganatus said, rolling his eyes when Temmosus stood and walked several feet away from the group, ignoring him again.

"The city as we've seen it still looks to be a center of science and creation. _Magical_ architecture, is it not?" he mused, "Perhaps we can exchange more than just resources with them. Make a whole new society for the Thal and the Daleks alike." He turned, approaching the blue ship and touching it gently, "The strangers. You say they arrived in this... _thing._ "

"Yes," Alydon came to stand next to Temmosus, though she didn't touch the ship.

He hummed softly to himself. "And you trust them?"

"I've only spoken with the girl, Susan. But if the others are anything like her, then they have my full trust. She was kind, and optimistic despite her situation. Braver than any of us could hope to be," she said, smiling at the thought of the strange alien girl. Temmosus nodded.

"I hope you're not to generous in your trust, child," he murmured, "D'yoni, any opinions? You've been awfully quiet. I thought you'd be pouncing on the idea of meeting a new species."

But D'yoni shook her head, arms folded over her chest. "I've no opinions."

"How unusual," Ganatus snorted, earning a smack to the ribs. There was silence as Temmosus reread the letter, D'yoni returning to the ship to run her hands over the wood, and Ganatus climbing atop a larger mound of glass to lay on. Finally, Temmosus tucked the letter into his belt and turned back to Alydon.

"And you say the girl returned to the city?"

Alydon nodded. "I gave her my cloak and another box of the serum, and I walked her to the edge of the city."

"It would have been better to give the serum to the old woman than to a child," D'yoni snapped.

"I didn't have a chance," Alydon said, glancing around with a deep breath, "They weren't just _in_ the city, they were prisoners of the Daleks. Susan was the only one permitted to leave and get the serum."

Ganatus spit out the flower petal he'd been idly chewing on. " _Prisoners?_ "

"I'm afraid so," Alydon looked away from Ganatus, "From all she told me, the Daleks are _incredibly_ suspicious of others."

Temmosus hummed again. "And how old did you say this girl was?"

"Not yet a woman, but no longer a child," Alydon said, " _Very_ small. I'd have thought she were younger had I not spoken to her. But she's incredibly beautiful."

" _Oh?_ " Ganatus snickered, and Temmosus shot him an amused glance, leaning closer to Alydon and patting her shoulder.

"Well then it might not be a good idea for you to talk to her again, if she's really that beautiful," he said. Ganatus laughed out loud as D'yoni stormed away, grumbling to herself. Alydon groaned, shoving Ganatus off the glass and staring where D'yoni had left.

"I don't _understand_ her!" she sighed, sitting back on the glass and putting her head in her hands. "I'm just trying to do my _job_ , if we don't find a new food source within the next cycle, we'll all be dead. Doesn't she understand that? We're all working toward the same end."

Ganatus climbed back over the glass, wrapping his arms around Alydon from behind. "I know whose end _she's_ working toward." Alydon wriggled out of his grasp.

"Alydon, must you be so blind?" Temmosus smiled fondly, kneeling next to Alydon and taking her hand, "D'yoni sees her personal future in you. You must remember, when we left our plateau you were both only children. But that was ten cycles ago. She's grown attached to you."

Sighing, Alydon gave Temmosus an appreciative smile. "We shall talk of this later."

"Of course," Temmosus smirked knowingly, "Now tell me, what do you intend us to do about this letter?"

" _That_ I can talk about. See, when I left Susan at the East entrance of the city, she said she would talk to the Daleks before sundown," Alydon began, sitting forward, "If the Daleks agreed to our terms, she would bring a letter with _their_ terms so we could discuss it and work out the alliance."

Temmosus nodded, producing the letter from his belt. "That's all well and good, but how are we to know the Daleks aren't tricking us?"

"Susan asked the same thing," Alydon unfolded the letter and pointed to the last word, "And that's what we agreed upon. If she thought the Daleks meant us harm, she wouldn't sign the letter. Her name means it's safe."

 

* * *

 

"Y'know, I'm getting real tired of arguing with you!" Jan snapped, "Just because you're a daft old fool doesn't mean we all are!"

"Oi, watch what you say about her!" Susan held the Doctor's arm, glaring at Jan from across the room. Both took a step back when they were advanced on.

"Don't you _see_!? This whole pattern of things is bloody suspicious!" Jan looked over at Barbara for support, waving her arms around, "Sure, the Daleks haven't killed us yet, but that's no reason to _trust_ them!"

The Doctor pushed Jan backwards with one hand, pulling Susan along. " _Or_ suspect them!"

"Barbara, will you back me up!?"

"Absolutely not, the Daleks may just have a different way of doing things, that's all!" Barbara crossed her arms, turning her back to the argument. Jan let out a growl of frustration. "Oh, don't be a _child_ , Janice!"

"The _Thal_ have _helped us!_ The _Daleks_ put us in a cell!" she cried, "I'm certain which of the two _I'd_ prefer to trust!"

The Doctor scoffed. "The Daleks are brilliant people, you're the daft one if you choose not to trust them!"

Heavy silence filled the room as Jan turned slowly back toward the Doctor. "Y'know, ever since you talked alone with the Daleks, you've done nothing but defend them," she stalked toward her with a sneer, grabbing her by the lapels and yanking her forward, "What, did they bribe you or something? Why are you on their side, what did they give you!?"

"Take your hands off me, how _dare_ you-" the Doctor slapped Jan across the face, forcing her to drop her, "You _insulant_ _bitch!_ "

 

* * *

 

" _That is it! I've had it with you!_ " the tall woman raised her fist, and the other woman jumped between the two of them, everyone yelling and shoving until the child finally tackled the tall woman to the ground. " _Get off me!_ "

" _Then leave my grandmother alone!_ "

" _SHOULD- WE- INTER-VENE?_ " the second in command asked, watching the screen. The security chief didn't move, just tweaking his weapon to the left as a _no_.

The child jumped on the tall woman's back, and they teetered around the room; the old woman tried to pull her away by the waist, and the other woman tried pulling them apart from the other direction. The sound coming from the speakers was all garbled screaming, one voice barely distinguishable from the next. And suddenly, in all the chaos, the camera feed went dead.

After a moment of stunned silence, just staring at the dark screen, the security chief whipped around. " _WHAT- HAPPENED?_ " he demanded, eye stalk vibrating, " _SPEAK!_ "

 

* * *

 

Susan laughed, rolling over with the camera held proudly in her hands. "And look at _that!_ "

"Wonderful job, all of you!" Barbara grinned, crawling over to look at it. Jan pulled Susan to her side, ruffling her hair in a hug as the four of them giggled with adrenaline.

"I hope I didn't hurt you," she said, and Susan shook her head.

"No, of course not!" Susan brandished the camera in the Doctor's direction, looking a bit smug, "What did I tell you, grandmother! Easy as pie."

The Doctor allowed a smile, putting her hands up in defeat. "You're right, child, you're right. I'm simply glad you were able to figure out where the camera _was_. I never would've seen it," she gestured at it, "Now bring it here, let me have a look at it."

"Of course, grandmother!" Susan slid on her knees to where the Doctor sat, passing off the camera and then crawling back toward Barbara and Jan. "Alright, now for the hard part. Either of you got an idea for how we're getting out of here?"

Jan shrugged. "Wait until the Daleks come in again, then force our way out?"

"We couldn't even get _near_ to that," Barbara said, shaking her head and shifting, "We'd make it a few feet away and then they'd paralyze us just like they did you. Or _worse._ Maybe they'll kill us this time."

"You're right," Jan rested her chin on her hand, " _Damn._ "

Leaning back, Susan blew out a breath of air. "Why don't we... hm. We could..." she thought for a long moment, then snapped her fingers, "We could repeat what we did with the cave men, pretend to be dead, then once they come in we slip out and head for the lifts?"

"That's all well and good, but there's still the issue of their weapons," Barbara pointed out. Susan pursed her lips, going silent again.

"Y'know what we need to do? We need to find a way to put these things out of action," Jan said, "I've no idea _how_ , but that should be our first priority."

"Yes," Barbara agreed, "Now how are we going to go about that?"

 

* * *

 

" _IT- HAD- TO- BE- IN-TEN-TIONAL,_ " the security chief said, rolling back and forth, " _THE- CABLE- IS- STRONG. IT- COULD- NOT- HAVE- BEEN- ACC-IDEN-TALLY- BROKEN- IN- THEIR- STRU-GGLE._ "

Moving to open the door, the second in command bobbed his eye stalk. " _THEY- WILL- BE- MOVED- TO- A- DIFFERENT- ROOM._ "

" _NO._ "

He paused in front of the door. " _EXTERMINATION- THEN._ "

" _NO. THERE- IS- NO- ESCAPE- FROM- THE- HOL-DING- CELL_ ," the security chief went back to the now blank view screen, smacking it with his weapon, " _THIS- IS- INCON-VENIENT. BUT- NOT- A- DISASTER. WE- WILL- DEAL- WITH- THE- THAL- FIRST. AND- THE- PRISONERS- WILL- BE- DEALT- WITH- LATER._ "

 

* * *

 

"I could jump on _it_ , maybe we can pull the plunger out or something," Susan suggested, then deflated after a second, "No, never mind, they could still shoot all of you."

Suddenly, the camera rolled back toward the small group, and when they looked up the Doctor was standing, looking a bit smug. "Have any of you noticed the floors are all metal?"

"Oh. Yes," Barbara drummed her fingers on the ground, "So were the streets in the city."

"But what does that matter?" Jan asked. The Doctor joined them by the wall, pacing and weaving between where they sat.

"Metal... why?"

Barbara shrugged. "I don't know."

"No, no, I know you don't know," the Doctor waved her hand, "I was asking myself," she shook her head, "Why do they use metal? Is it because it lasts longer? Or maybe-"

"Maybe it's essential to them," Jan suggested, "There's an idea."

Barbara's brow furrowed. "But how is it essential?"

"Shh... just think about the Daleks," the Doctor waved her hand around, silencing Barbara and putting a finger to her lips as she paced, "When they move about, there's this _smell._ I hadn't noticed it before, because of the radiation sickness, but when they came in to give us the box of food..."

"It's sort of acrid," Susan agreed, "I thought maybe I was imagining it. Perhaps they're powered by batteries?"

"I've smelled that sort of thing before," Barbara commented, then her eyes went wide and she grabbed Jan's wrist, "The trip we took to the fairgrounds!"

Jan grinned and snapped her fingers. "That's it! Dodgems!"

"Beg your pardon?" the Doctor asked. Jan looked up at her.

"The cars at carnivals that you drive around and bump into other cars with, they're controlled through these long rods that come out the back and touch the ceiling-" she stopped herself, lips pursing, "Hang on a second..."

Barbara nodded, understanding what she'd realized. "The Daleks aren't connected to anything like that. Only the base touches the floor."

"So how do they complete the circuit?" Jan sighed, "Never mind, you can all ignore us."

"No, no, dear girl, I think you may be on to something," the Doctor squatted down, rubbing her chin and squinting. After a moment, she put her hands on the ground and felt around, mumbling to herself. Then she looked up, eyes landing on Jan's head. "Am I the only one suddenly noticing Miss Chesterton's hair?"

Susan and Barbara got closer to look, all three crowding around. "What?" Jan asked, looking at the three of them in concern, "What's wrong with my hair?"

"It's all standing up!" Susan gasped, running her hand through the floating strands that stood away from Jan's head, "But why, grandmother?"

The Doctor had stood up again, kicked her shoes to the side, and was now sliding her feet around the floor, stopping by Jan and tapping her shoulder. Jan yelped.

"What the bloody hell was that for, Doctor!?" she snapped, "That _hurt!_ "

Chuckling to herself, the Doctor started pulling her shoes back on. "I was correct! Your hair standing on end, the floor feeling strange, my socks allowing me to gather a static shock? You all know what this means."

"Oh!" Susan smiled, sliding on her knees to give the Doctor a hug, "Grandmother, you're a genius!"

"What does it mean, I don't understand?" Barbara's brow was furrowed. Jan took her hand.

"Static electricity, Barbara! The Daleks must've learned how to harness static electricity to power themselves!"

"And they get it through the floor!" Susan chimed in. Barbara still looked confused, but shrugged.

The Doctor stood again, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now. What do we know aside from guessing about _how_ they are powered, hmm? There's a question for you all."

Susan bit the inside of her cheek, thinking. Then she stood and walked to the Doctor's side. "Well... they can see all around them. When they had me write the letter, that one we keep speaking to spun that little dome at the top and hit me with the eye."

"Yes," the Doctor gestured approvingly at her, "Yes, their eye is very flexible."

Barbara joined the Doctor and Susan in standing up. "It's like a large camera lens. But they've only got one of them."

"They _have_ only got one of them. You're right, Miss Wright," the Doctor genuinely smiled at her, clapping her on the shoulder, "Imagine looking out of a camera at all times. No matter how flexible it is, or how many directions it can move in, you would only be able to see a circle of what's in front of you until you move."

"No peripheral vision," Susan said, snapping her fingers.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes..." the Doctor paced backwards, then glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes when she saw Jan was still sitting, thinking, on top of the cloak Susan had brought back from the woods, "Chesterton, if you would _focus_?"

Jan was snapped out of her daze, looking up suddenly. "Hm? Oh, yes. Sorry. I was just thinking-" she stood, coming to stand with the others and bringing the cloak with her, "Susan, this cloak you brought back. What's it made of?"

"I'm not sure. It felt a bit like rubber," Susan suggested, "Smooth rubber. Not sticky."

Barbara took a part of the cloak into her own hands, rubbing her fingers over the pieces. "It's almost like plastic, but not quite. I don't think nylon either. These pieces, they're like enormous _scales._ "

"Well whatever it is, it'll do for what we want," Jan said, and the Doctor gave her a raised eyebrow.

"And what would that be, hmm?"

Jan had an almost _devious_ smile on her face. "We're going to insulate the floor and put the next Dalek that comes in out of action."

 

* * *

 

Most of the camp near the strangers' ship was asleep, D'yoni idly working on a new batch of serum as the others that were still awake discussed the Daleks' message behind her. She tucked several strands of hair behind her ear, biting her tongue between her teeth and sealing a lid over the latest vial before placing it in her basket.

A noise in the woods made her look up, and she saw Elyon approaching with one of the creatures from the woods slung over her shoulder. She nodded with her arm over her chest, and D'yoni returned the gesture, watching her head for the group around the fire.

After a moment, she returned to her supplies, and started another vial of the serum.

"May I-" a voice made D'yoni jump in fear, and she found herself suddenly wrapped in the arms of Ganatus, who was laughing, "Relax, it's only me. May I perhaps steal one of these flowers for a snack?"

"You may," she smiled, rolling her eyes as Ganatus squatted next to her, taking a flower and starting to munch on it, "Did you see Elyon brought back one of the creatures?"

"Dead, I hope?"

"Well of _course_ it's dead, it-" D'yoni cut herself short, noticing the amused grin on Ganatus' face, and she smacked him in the arm, "I can never tell when you're joking and when you're serious."

"I was only joking a _little!_ " Ganatus finished the flower and got his hand slapped away from the basket when he tried to take another. "We don't know what those things are. Perhaps there are some that are still alive."

D'yoni scoffed, going back to her work. "I sure hope there aren't."

"Perhaps they're the newly mutated _Daleks!_ " Ganatus tickled her side, and D'yoni fell over, laughing.

"You stop it!" she pushed him away, "Go help Elyon harvest the elements from the creature, don't make her do it alone."

Ganatus stood, smile still on his face. "We'll be able to recharge the hand lights. That'll put Antodus back on guard."

"What, is she still afraid of the dark?" D'yoni snorted, but to her surprise, Ganatus' face darkened and he glared at her.

"My sister is afraid of nothing," after a moment, his jovial smile was back, and he snatched another flower out of D'yoni's basket, "If you need company, I'm only a shout away," then he headed back toward the fire, where Temmosus and Alydon stood.

Alydon sealed the last scale onto her new cloak with the fire, pulling it away and setting it down to cool. She sighed. "Temmosus," she began, bringing him out of his daze of thought, "What if the letter from the Daleks is a trick, what if they don't intend to help us?"

"I believe..." Temmosus let out a long breath, shaking his head, "I believe the Daleks hold the key to our future. Whatever that future may be, we must accept it gracefully and without regret."

"Even if that means our destruction?" Alydon found her voice coming out quiet. Temmosus nodded. "I wish I could be as objective as you. I hate to admit it, but..." she swallowed thickly, "I'm _afraid_ , Temmosus. All this new knowledge coming to us so quickly, discovering the Daleks are _alive_..." trailing off, she shook her head and shrugged, "I wish none of this had to change. Asking for the Daleks help, it just- it feels like we've been defeated.

Temmosus put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I've never struggled against the inevitable, Alydon, you're right," when she didn't answer, he offered a soft smile, "Just try and look at it objectively. You'd be surprised how often apparent defeat can reveal itself to be a victory."

 

* * *

 

The door whooshed open, and the four whirled around to look. A Dalek, maybe the same one they'd seen before, rolled an inch past the doorway, plunger outstretched with a bowl of water. The Doctor nudged Jan, voice barely a whisper.

"Take in as much as you can about this thing, and how it moves. Anything could be imp-"

" _SI- LENCE,_ " the Dalek commanded, making the Doctor jerk away from Jan in shock. Its plunger stretched a bit further, eye stalk flicking over at Susan. " _YOU._ _TAKE- THE- WA- TER._ "

Hesitantly, Susan walked forward and took the bowl from him, bringing it back toward the cloak and setting it down. The Dalek's eye then moved back to the Doctor. " _I- WILL- RETURN- WITH- FOOD._ " Then he backed out and the door shut again.

Instantly, they jumped back into action, huddling up.

"He only came in just past the doorway, there's no way to sneak around him," Barbara said, "Maybe if we anticipate that he's coming, we can stand flat against the wall beside the door."

"Yes, I can listen at the door," Susan agreed. The Doctor waved her hand about.

"They must know we intentionally broke the camera, or they would say something about it," she said, "And if they could still hear us, they would know what we've been planning. They would've said something about that as well."

"You're right," Jan said, then picked up a piece of the camera they'd broken, "But did you see how the door opens almost diagonally? I can slide a piece of this under and jam it. Surely the Dalek will notice it doesn't close, and it'll come back in."

"Yes..." the Doctor agreed, but she shook her head, "No, no, no, we must have one more observational round, see if hiding by the door really works. We'll ask the Dalek for one more thing to ensure it will return again."

 

* * *

 

Susan was barely breathing as she listened with her ear pressed against the cold metal of the door. The room was totally silent, all of them waiting in anticipation for Susan to give them the cue. Suddenly, a mechanical noise sounded from nearby, and Susan waved her arm around.

"It's coming!" she whispered, flattening herself against the wall. Jan was doing the same on the other side, both trying to look as casual yet as flat as possible.

The door opened, and the Dalek rolled barely inside once again, plunger holding a bowl of food this time. Its eye stalk got a bit shorter, and they could see the lens changing in the light. " _MOVE- AWAY- FROM- THE- WALLS._ "

Cursing silently, Susan and Jan returned to where Barbara and the Doctor stood. The Dalek extended the food just like it had with the water. " _TAKE- THE- FOOD._ "

Susan did as it told her, putting it with the water bowl, and before the Dalek could leave, the Doctor jumped forward.

"Ah, I beg your pardon," she asked, making the Dalek swivel around to look at her, "Is there a chance we could have another bowl of water? I'm afraid Susan drank the lot you gave us."

The Dalek was silent for a long, intense moment, then its eye stalk wobbled a bit. " _I- WILL- RETURN- WITH- MORE- WATER._ " And, just like before, he backed out and the door shut. The Doctor turned back to the group.

"We've got three minutes until he's returned. What do we do?" she asked. Jan ran a hand through her hair, sighing in defeat.

"It's impossible to hide from it, so that's not going to work," she said, "Perhaps we could stage a distraction, Doctor, have it look one way and while the eye is pointed there, we throw a coat over it?"

The Doctor nodded, beginning to pace again. "Yes, yes, yes, you're right. Something like that. But how will the coat _stay?_ "

"Hang on a second..." Barbara scraped the toe of her shoe over a vague dirty shoe-print, "Susan, give me your shoes."

As she took them off and tossed them across the room, Susan raised an eyebrow. "Can I ask why?"

"I'm going to make... something..." Barbara knelt down beside the bowl of water, scraping dirt out of the indents in Susan's shoes, "I saw your footprints. Your shoes have dirt in them from when you were in the rain in the jungle. So I'm going to make some _mud._ "

Jan peered over her shoulder curiously, squatting down for a closer look. "What are you planning on _doing_ with the mud?" she asked. Barbara blew a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, glancing at Jan with a fond smile.

"Put it over the Dalek's eye camera, silly. Now hush, let me work," she said. Jan squeezed her shoulder and stood, walking back to the Doctor with the broken piece of camera in her hands.

"Doctor, how shall I get this under the door? I was thinking of waiting with it behind my back until the last second, then I could slide it under while the door is closing," she suggested. The Doctor shook her head, pacing anxiously.

"No, no, no, no, that wouldn't work. We'd run the risk of the door closing before you get the piece under," she pointed a finger at Jan with a tilted head, "I think perhaps our best option would be for you to lie on the floor, right there where the door comes up last. Wedge it right in there, then stand back up as quickly as you can."

Susan made a disapproving sound. "But what if the Dalek sees her?"

"Don't worry, Susan, I can do it," Jan reassured her, shaking her arms out with a deep breath, "How much longer have we got, Doctor?"

The Doctor checked her pocket watch, letting out a disgruntled sound, "I'd say a minute, give or take thirty seconds."

"Right," Jan swallowed and paced back a few steps, anxiety showing plainly on her face. She looked over at Barbara, who was now standing and rolling a ball of mud between her hands, "How's the mud coming along, then?"

"Very sticky and _very_ nasty," Barbara sneered at her own work, and earned a clap on the shoulder from the Doctor.

"Excellent idea you have there, young lady."

Barbara huffed out a sigh, shaking her head. "Let's just hope it works."

Suddenly, the Doctor let out a loud, " _Fuck!_ " making the others look at her worriedly. She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "The gun, we've got to take care of the gun. Remember what it did to Miss Chesterton's legs?"

"You're right. How did we forget that?" Jan groaned. Susan gently took the Doctor's hand, trying to give her a smile.

"Grandmother, you and I can grab hold of the gun while we pull it onto the cloak!" she suggested, "Use it like a handle. Miss Wright and Miss Chesterton will just have to stay out of the way. Besides, it won't be able to see where to shoot us."

The Doctor considered what she was saying for a long moment, then sighed. "I suppose we've no other option. You're right, child, you and I will take care of the gun."

"Should I spread out the cloak, grandmother?" Susan asked, holding it up curiously. The Doctor hummed, moving to help her with it.

"Yes, yes, yes, but not too near the door, that way he won't be suspicious," she said. Susan nodded, and the two laid the cloak flat on the ground, "Good, very good. Miss Chesterton, I'd suggest you get in position _now_. Just in case."

Jan nodded. "You're right. This side, correct?" the others nodded, and Jan laid down on her stomach, just within arms reach of the doorway, heart pounding in her chest. "Susan, would you listen at the door again?"

"Of course, yeah," Susan hopped over the cloak and pressed her ear to the door, "Mud ready, Miss Wright?" she whispered over her shoulder. Barbara held up the ball, nodding, then hid it behind her back. "Grandmother, are you ready? We've only got one shot at this."

"As ready as I can possibly be, child," the Doctor nodded. Susan looked down, and Jan gave her a thumbs up and a smile, prompting Susan to do the same in return. Then suddenly, her face darkened and she waved her arms around.

" _He's coming!_ " she hissed, running back to stand with the Doctor.

She was right. An instant later, the door whooshed open.

Jan slipped the piece of camera under the side she was on, then ducked and rolled to stand just behind the Doctor. It happened so quickly even the others in the room barely saw it.

" _I- HAVE- RE-TURNED- WITH- MORE- WA-TER,_ " the Dalek said, extending its plunger toward Susan once again, " _TAKE- IT._ "

"Thank you," Susan said, accepting the water with a false smile and setting it down with the other bowls. The Dalek said nothing else, rolling back out of the room and closing the door.

Except the door didn't close all the way. In fact, much to everyone's surprise, when it hit the obstacle Jan had put in place, it opened all the way back up, and an ear splitting alarm sounded, accompanied by flashing red lights.

" _WHAT- IS- THE- MEAN-ING- OF- THIS!?_ " the Dalek rolled back into the room, and for the slightest second, the room was completely still.

Then the Doctor shouted, " _NOW!_ " and flung herself forward to grab the Dalek's gun. Barbara slapped her ball of mud over the lens of the camera, smearing it just for good measure, and Susan grabbed the plunger to try and keep it still as it thrashed and rolled back and forth, shrieking,

" _KEEP- A-WAY- FROM- ME! KEEP- A-WAY- FROM- ME!_ " over and over again.

"Get it onto the cloak, _get it onto the cloak!_ " Susan screamed, all four wrestling with the Dalek to try and pull it onto the cloak. A sudden burst of energy fired and hit the wall, leaving a scorching black mark. "LOOK OUT!" Susan cried.

" _KEEP- A-WAY-_ "

"It's firing!"

"Get it onto the cloak!"

The plunger got longer, reaching out and flailing around like it was trying to find something to grab onto. And it found Jan's neck. Extending it further, the Dalek continued to wail and thrash, but used its plunger to strangle Jan against the wall, pushing her up until she was suspended off the ground.

Then it dropped her.

Its plunger dropped too, the weapon no longer firing. Quickly, Susan slipped out the door and cupped her hands around one of the spheres on the security wall, silencing the alarm.

They'd gotten the Dalek onto the cloak.

Slowly, the Doctor took her hands off the gun, backing away with her eyes wide. When nothing happened for several seconds, she let out a sigh of relief, dropping her arms to the side. Susan came back inside, smiling. "We did it," she breathed, "We really did it."

"Yes, yes we did," the Doctor held out her arm and let Susan pull her into a side-hug, squeezing her granddaughter's shoulder, "Very well done."

"Jan, let me help with that," Barbara suddenly noticed Jan struggling to shove the plunger back down to a more normal length, and rushed over to help her. "Are you alright? Your throat's bruising..."

Jan smiled at her. "I'll be alright," her voice was raspy, "At least it didn't paralyze me this time, eh? Are you alright?"

"Yes, _I'm_ fine. Susan, Doctor, you're both safe?" Barbara asked, finally locking the plunger back to its regular setting. Susan and the Doctor both nodded. "Oh, splendid. Doctor, what'll we do now?"

The Doctor shrugged, pulling away from Susan to inspect the Dalek closer. "Well, I suppose we figure out a way to use this thing and escape."

"I'll see if there's a latch, or anything of the sort," Jan suggested, beginning to run her hands over the top of the Dalek, "It almost looks like a _lid_ , doesn't it? I figure maybe one of us could get inside, or-" with a hiss and a click, Jan found the dome at the top of the Dalek popping up in her hands, opening like a garbage can. "Ah! There we are."

She pushed it back, peering inside, and her face quickly hardened, slamming the lid shut again. She swallowed thickly. "Susan, Barbara, you mind keeping a watch on the door? Make sure no guards show up?" her voice shook, but only barely. No one but the Doctor seemed to notice.

"'Course! C'mon, Miss Wright. Let me show you the security system, it's fascinating," Susan led Barbara away by the hand, and as soon as they were out of the doorway, Jan beckoned the Doctor forward.

"What's got you in a fuss, hmm?" the Doctor asked, joining her on the back side of the Dalek. Jan took a deep breath and closed her eyes, popping the lid once again. The Doctor leaned up and over to look in, and let out a small noise when she did, "My word..."

"That's the thing we saw in the woods, isn't it?" Jan asked, voice hushed, "The dead thing, Barbara screamed when she saw it."

The Doctor nodded, unable to take her eyes off the creature inside the machine. "I remember it, yes. This seems to be the same sort of thing."

"Yes..." Jan seemed to finally snap herself out of the daze, looking around the room, "Right, we- we should get it out of here so one of us can get in. Do you think it's safe to roll it off the cloak?"

"Hmm," the Doctor narrowed her eyes, "Look at the pulsing of the veins, and the black char marks. It seems to have short circuited in the struggle, must have electrocuted this creature. It's unconscious. So yes, I would say it's safe to roll it off the cloak."

Jan rolled her eyes at the Doctor's excessive babbling, but didn't say anything as she pushed the Dalek back onto the metal floor. Once it was off the cloak, both women saw the inside of it light up, connected to the source of power once again. Jan straightened up and stretched, then gestured down. "Could you hand me the cloak?"

The Doctor leaned down and tossed it to her, watching as she reached inside with it to pull the creature out. Jan groaned under its weight, struggling to pull it up, then letting out a huge breath of air when she dropped it on the ground. "That thing is tiny, but _damn_ if it isn't densely packed."

"Do you think you'll be able to fit inside there? You're quite a tall girl," the Doctor said, giving Jan a vaguely judgemental once over. Jan just shrugged.

"Won't know unless we try," then she leaned toward the door, "All clear in the corridor?" she called. Susan poked her head back in with a thumbs up.

"All clear!"

Barbara's head appeared above her. "There's a sentry down at the end of the hall, we saw him on the security screens. And with all the noise we made with that alarm, we shouldn't waste any time."

"We're nearly ready to go!" Jan responded, "Keep on keeping watch!"

Both women disappeared back around the doorway, and Jan stepped up on the side of the Dalek, foot wedged between two of the half-spheres on the side. The Doctor held it steady, making sure it didn't roll away, and carefully, Jan managed to lower herself inside the Dalek.

"How's it looking?" the Doctor asked, peering around the side. Jan's head barely poked out of the top; the Doctor could just see her eyes and the bridge of her nose. "Looks like you'll fit after all."

"Yes, there's not much room in here, but it'll do. Shall we try the top?"

"We shall. Barbara, Susan, will you come back in here?" the Doctor called, and the two came in after a moment, Susan giggling when she saw Jan inside the Dalek. Without another word, and with a bit of a smirk on her face, the Doctor lifted and closed the dome of the Dalek, shutting Jan inside.

The Doctor knocked on the top several times. "Well, Miss Chandler, how is it?" she raised her voice just a little, unsure if Jan could hear her. There was a long moment of silence, and then,

" _IT'S VERY CRAMPED INDEED. DARK, TOO,_ " hearing Jan's voice come out through the same speaker as the Daleks even made the Doctor laugh out loud. Susan patted the dome, giggling.

"No, Miss Chesterton, you've got to do it in a monotone!"

" _WHY?_ "

Barbara, tried to fight her smile. "Well, you've heard the Daleks. Just try and talk more like them!"

" _AH, I UNDERSTAND_ ," Jan said, pausing for a moment, " _DO- YOU- MEAN- SOME-THING- LIKE- THIS?_ "

Susan laughed again. "Yes, that's perfect!"

"That's it!" the Doctor grabbed her lapels, "Now then, can you see alright from in there?"

Silence. Then, " _THERE'S A SCREEN IN HERE, AND A LOAD OF CONTROLS AND THINGS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING ON THE-_ " Jan cut herself off, making a curt _ah_ sound, " _OH, IT'S_ _THE MUD. COULD ONE OF YOU GET THE MUD OFF THE LENS?_ "

"Oh! Yes, sorry," Barbara walked around to the other side and scraped the mud out of the lens, tossing it onto the floor. "That better?"

" _YES, I CAN SEE NOW. THANK YOU_."

"Of course."

"Can you figure out how to move?" the Doctor asked, looking into the camera lens. The eye stalk twisted and turned a bit shakily, then focused back on the Doctor.

" _THERE'S TOO MANY CONTROLS, I CAN ONLY MOVE THE EYE RIGHT NOW,_ " Jan sighed. The Doctor shrugged.

"No matter. We can push you."

Barbara gave her an odd look, almost rolling her eyes. "Doctor, won't it be obvious we're pushing her? The Daleks aren't stupid."

"No, no, it won't be suspicious at all. She can say she's taking us for questioning," the Doctor said, getting behind the Dalek and shoving it with her shoulder. It rolled forward a bit, "Would the two of you help me?"

"Yes, sorry!" Susan grabbed the plunger and the gun, pulling as Barbara and the Doctor pushed. Once they'd made it into the hall, the Doctor nodded to Susan.

"You lead the way. You know how to get out."

"Right. Yeah, gotcha," Susan said, a nervous edge to her voice. "I'll close the door, hang on."

As she closed the door, kneeling and cupping her hands around the sphere, Susan didn't notice the single, slimy tentacle slithering out from under Alydon's cloak.


	4. The Ambush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back..... gay rights
> 
> my longest shoutout ever to @Jaybird314 for commenting, it mightve taken 4 months but that was what inspired me to finish this chapter so THANK YOU

"Hang on- hang on-"  _Slam._ "Wait, stop! Just-"

" _I THINK I'VE FIGURED OUT THE CONTROLS._ "

"Yes, and you're rolling right into me!" Susan put her hands up, stepping away from the Dalek so Jan could move freely, "Try and move now, I've let go."

" _ALRIGHT, JUST HANG ON-_ " a blast fired out of the gun and everyone screamed and ducked, " _I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T THINK THAT'S WHAT THAT WAS!_ " The Dalek suddenly jolted forward on the ground, and an electronic, satisfied sigh came out of the Dalek's speaker. " _AH, THERE WE ARE. LOOK, I CAN MOVE, NOW,_ " Jan spun the Dalek around once just to show off.

Barbara chuckled, patting the dome. "Very good. Susan, are we near where the camera showed the guard? All these halls look the same to me."

"I think we are..." Susan looked around, then ran ahead several doorways and peeked around the corner. She darted back as quickly as she could. "Yeah, there's a guard at that door that leads into the room with the lifts."

"Your time to shine, Chesterton," the Doctor murmured, pursing her lips, "You'd better not do much talking."

" _I'LL DO MY BEST._ "

Susan gestured down the hall, bowing slightly like an usher. "After you, ladies."

"Alright, here goes nothing. Doctor, come get in front of Jan with us," Barbara didn't even wait for her to move, instead grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her along. As they approached the door, all of them slowed, both desperate to get this step of the escape out of the way and dreading what would happen if it didn't work. As they headed through the door, they were stopped by the sentry.

" _HALT- WHERE- YOU- ARE,_ " it said, freezing all of them in place. The eye stalk looked them over. " _WHAT- IS- THE- MEAN-ING- OF- THIS?_ " A bit awkwardly, Jan rolled forward.

" _THE- HEAD- OF- SE-CURITY- WI-SHES- TO- QUE-STION- THE- PRISONERS_ ," she said, and if they hadn't known it was Jan inside, the others may have been convinced she was a real Dalek.

The guard's camera lens seemed to adjust, almost like it was squinting. " _I- WAS- NOT- IN-FORMED- OF- THIS._ "

" _IT- WAS- NOT- OF- YOUR- CON-CERN,_ " Jan shot back, " _WE- WILL- PRO-CEED._ "

She tried to roll past, but she was blocked by the Dalek's plunger. " _WHY- ARE- YOU- TAKING- THEM- TO- THE- LIFTS?_ "

" _WELL-_ " Jan stopped, and the Doctor cringed, " _WE... WE-_ "

"I won't let you take us up there, I won't!" Susan suddenly cried, throwing herself on the ground, "Not to that horrible Dalek council!"

The Dalek's eye stalk swung back around to look at Jan. " _YOU- ARE- TAKING- THEM- TO- THE- COUN-CIL?_ "

" _ER... YES,_ " Jan agreed, eye flicking at Susan briefly, " _YOU- ARE- STALLING- ME. THIS- WILL- BE- RE-PORTED._ "

" _NOT- NECESSARY,_ " the Dalek backed away, almost nervous. " _YOU- MAY- PRO-CEED._ "

Once again, Jan started to roll forward, then she stopped and turned back around to look at the Dalek. " _THE- LAST- PRISONER- WAS- GI-VING- ME- TROUBLE. WOULD- YOU- GO- RE-TRIEVE- HER- FOR- ME?_ "

" _YES. I- WILL- RE-TURN- IN- A- MOMENT,_ " the Dalek rolled out of the room and headed off down the hallway they'd just come down, and as soon as it was out of sight, the Doctor cupped her hands around the sphere and closed the door.

The room let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Susan, that was genius," Barbara said, helping Susan off the ground and to her feet. "I was afraid we'd been found out for a moment, there."

" _ARE YOU ALRIGHT, SUSAN?_ " Jan asked, eye spinning to look at her. Susan giggled and nodded.

"I'm fine. We should get you out of there, shouldn't we? Grandmother, have you figured out how to disable the door's mechanism?" she asked, starting to feel for the clasp on the dome of the Dalek. The Doctor turned around, door sphere in her hand.

"Nothing works better than simply ripping it out of the wall," she shrugged.

" _BRILLIANT_ ," Jan said, " _NOW CAN I GET OUT OF THIS THING? I'M SUFFOCATING._ "

"I'm working on it, just a moment," Susan's brow was furrowed, tongue bit between her teeth, "The clasp is jammed, I can't get it to pull apart."

" _WHAT?_ "

"Grandmother, help me out!"

"Hurry, hurry, they're going to figure us out in no time," Barbara anxiously watched the Doctor and Susan jerk the Dalek around, dome barely budging. "Please, hurry."

The lights suddenly flashed red, an alarm blaring over the loudspeaker system. All three of them covered their ears. " _ATTEN-TION. THE- PRISONERS- HAVE- ES-CAPED- THE- HOLDING- CELL._ "

"Oh, Jesus, hurry up!" Barbara opened the lift and held the door, heart hammering.

"The latch is free, but it's not opening!" Susan pulled on it harder, cheeks red from holding her breath, "Miss Chesterton, try pushing up on it!"

" _I'M TRYING, IT'S NOT- IT'S MAKING IT WORSE, SUSAN,_ " Jan said, then she let out a heavy breath, " _THERE'S SOMETHING JAMMED IN HERE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS._ "

The Doctor blew her hair out of her eyes and rolled up her sleeves. "We'll just have to free you when we get outside of the city, let's get in the lift."

Susan and the Doctor headed to get in, but stopped when the Dalek didn't move. "Jan, c'mon, into the lift!" Barbara waved at her.

" _THE CONTROLS AREN'T WORKING,_ " Jan's voice shook. Susan ran back to her.

"We'll push you, then! C'mon, grandmother!" the two of them braced themselves on one side of the Dalek, but pushing with all their might didn't move it even a centimeter. "What's going  _on!?_ "

"It moved easily enough before!"

The Doctor held up a finger, dropping into a squat. "They've magnetized the floor."

Susan yelped, yanking her hand away from the door she'd touched. "The door's red hot, they're cutting through!"

" _WE DON'T HAVE ANY TIME, DOCTOR, GO UP WITH THE OTHERS, I'LL MEET YOU UP THERE._ "

"No!" Barbara cried, gripping the doorway into the lift, "No, Jan, you've got to come with us!"

" _YOU'RE WASTING TIME! JUST GET OUT OF HERE,_ " Jan snapped, " _I'LL BE FINE, THEY'LL HAVE TO DEMAGNETIZE THE FLOOR IF THEY WANT TO COME IN HERE AFTER ME. BARBARA, JUST GO!_ "

"She's right, come now," the Doctor pulled Susan into the lift, gripping Barbara's wrist as she tried to run back to the Dalek, "Chesterton, we'll send the lift back down to you as soon as we're on the surface!"

" _ALRIGHT, DOCTOR. NOW GO!_ "

"Jan, no, WAIT-" the lift doors closed.

 

* * *

 

Barbara clung to the Doctor's waistcoat, screaming into her shoulder.

"Take us  _BACK, take us BACK!_ " she demanded, "Doctor, take us  _back!_ "

Quietly and tentatively, the Doctor reached up and patted Barbara on the back. "Miss Wright, your friend is an incredibly brilliant, incredibly  _brave_  woman. She'll find a way out. She'll be alright."

"Grandmother, how long is it gonna take for the Daleks to cut into the room?" Susan asked. The Doctor squeezed Barbara's shoulder as she pulled away.

"Ten minutes at the most," she said, "Susan-"

"She's never gonna get out of there without the lift," Susan collapsed against the wall, pressing her hands into her eyes, "We should go back, grandmother."

"No, we-" the Doctor cleared her throat. The silence in the lift was deafening, "We can't. There's nothing we can do for her now."

 

* * *

 

Jan's whole body protested as she slammed herself into the lid of the Dalek for the hundredth time.

Inside the Dalek had felt cramped when she'd first climbed in, but now it was absolutely paralyzing. She'd never been claustrophobic - back in the day she'd done plenty of pranks while hiding in lockers or garbage bins - but the anxiety that had wrapped itself around her chest was squeezing until she couldn't breathe.

She was sitting on her knees, lifting up every time she tried to open the lid. Before, when she'd driven the thing, she'd been cross legged, and neither were exactly comfortable.

The eye stalk had been pointed just to the point where she could see half of the door, and it was getting brighter by the minute; the Daleks were almost through.

She screamed in frustration and pounded on the lid, tears streaking down her cheeks.

 

* * *

 

"It's never going to reach her in time," Barbara watched the lift descend back into the structure, a small, sad noise escaping her, "It's too slow. It's too slow, I should've stayed down there with her."

"She'll be alright. She'll be fine," Susan didn't even believe her own words.

 

* * *

 

The door finally collapsed under the heat and the three security guards rolled into the room, seeing the shell of their former chief of security sitting frozen in the middle of the room. The second in command rolled forward, eye stalk looking it up and down.

" _DE-STROY- IT,_ " he commanded, and the other two fired their weapons, blasting it into smoking pieces.

 

* * *

 

The silence atop the building was absolutely deafening; no one really knew what to say or do. Susan had sat down against the wall, knees drawn up to her chest. The Doctor stood beside her, toying with her pocket watch as Barbara paced back and forth in desperation.

"They've got to have cut through by now," she finally cried, throwing her hands in the air, "There's no way the lift made it down there. I knew it, I bloody  _knew it!_ "

"Miss Wright, there's still a chance she-"

"No there isn't!" Barbara cut Susan off, tears returning to her eyes, "She couldn't have made it into the lift, it was too slow! She-  _dammit!_ " she stifled a sob, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "We should go, we should just get out of here."

Susan and the Doctor exchanged a look. "We'll give it another minute, maybe?" Susan suggested.

Before Barbara had a chance to respond, there was a metal scraping sound, and a hatch was thrown open on the ground. They all held their breath, afraid it was a Dalek guard there to kill them, until a human hand reached out of the hatch and grappled for something to hold onto.

Barbara gasped. "Jan!" she slid to her knees and helped pull her friend out of the hatch, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tight, "Oh, I thought you were dead, we thought you were dead, thank God you're alright, thank God-"

Jan was grinning, hugging Barbara back. "They still had a solid two inches left of the door when I got out."

"How  _did_ you get out!?" Susan asked, joining the two by the hatch. Jan laughed and ran a grimy hand through her hair.

"They demagnetized the floor, I think maybe they were prepping for when they finally got inside. Latch came right open once they did," she said, "Found this sort of air ventilation thing right by the lifts, climbed my way up."

Finally, Barbara let her go with a giddy laugh and a few joyful tears. "Are you alright?"

"I'm brilliant," Jan's eyes sparkled, and the Doctor had to clear her throat to get both of their attention.

"Miss Chesterton, we're very glad to see you alive. However, I believe we'd better get out of the city before the Daleks take us back to a cell. Or worse," she said. Jan squeezed Barbara's hand and stood up, moving to where the Doctor was standing.

"You're right. Where are we?" she leaned over the balcony at the edge, squinting, "Is this some sort of terrace?"

"I think it is," Susan nodded, "And I think it's the highest one. When I was looking at the security feed, I saw there was a council room right near the top of this spire. This is probably right above that."

"Which way did we come from?" Barbara asked.

Susan pointed just left of where they were all looking, craning her neck to see. "I'm pretty sure we came from that way. Yeah, look, there's the mountain trail-" she stood on her toes, "And you can kinda see the edge of the forest."

"It all looks so different from above," Barbara mused, "Kind of... beautiful."

"There's the entrance to the city that we first came through," Jan pointed out, and Barbara looked to where she was pointing, brow furrowing. "You see something?"

Barbara leaned further over the balcony, holding onto Jan's sweater for support, "Yes, I think... it looks like..."

"What's the matter, Miss Wright?" Susan asked. Barbara stood back up, shaking her head.

"It looks like there's someone down there where we entered the city," she said. The Doctor joined them where they stood, peering out in a similar fashion.

"Is it a Dalek?"

"No, it looked like a person. Like-" Barbara's eyes snapped wide open and she pointed again, "There! There, it looks like a man! No..." she squinted, "Two! Maybe three people!"

Susan gasped, throwing a hand over her mouth. "That's the Thal! They're probably here for the food!"

"By Rassilon..." the Doctor murmured, "They're walking into an ambush."

 

* * *

 

The new chief of security turned his eye stalk from the security cameras to his newly appointed second in command, rolling to meet where he'd looked.

" _THE- THAL- ARE- HERE,_ " he said. The second in command looked over him at the screen.

" _WHAT- OF- THE- PRIS-ONERS?_ "

" _CON-TINUE- TO- SEARCH- FOR- THEM,_ " he responded, rolling toward the door, " _THEY- COULD- NOT- HAVE- GOT-TEN- FAR. I- WILL- TAKE- TWO- OTHER- DA-LEKS- TO- MEET- THE- THAL- AND- WE- WILL- EX-TERMINATE- THEM. WHEN- YOU- FIND- THE- PRIS-ONERS- YOU- WILL- EX-TERMINATE- THEM._ "

The second in command's eye stalk bobbed up and down, lights on his head flickering. " _I- UN-DER-STAND._ "

 

* * *

 

"LOOK UP HERE!"

"IT'S A  _TRAP!_ "

"C'MON, LOOK AT US!"

Susan fell against the balcony, groaning in frustration when her jumping and waving was obviously to no avail. Jan similarly leaned next to her, raking her hands through her hair. Susan rubbed her eyes. "Why can't they hear us!?"

"It's like we're indoors, like there's some  _barrier_ , or-" Jan was cut off by the Doctor pushing her out of the way and hurling a hunk of metal over the balcony. It arced through the air then bounced back, a purplish light shooting out across an invisible plane where it hit. The Doctor made a disgruntled noise of satisfaction, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There's a force field of some kind around us. Those Thal can't hear us because we're inside of it," she explained. Barbara gasped.

"Well then we have to get down there! We have to warn them!"

"Not only that," Jan grabbed Barbara's hand without thinking, pointing toward the lift, "The lift's coming up!"

Susan yelped. "Damn! What are we gonna do!?"

"Jan, think of something!" Barbara pulled on her arm, hands still laced together, "C'mon, I know you can think of something!"

"Yes, there was- uh- there were side tunnels, like vents, on either side of the main port I was using, we could get out through one of those!" Jan snapped her fingers, running back to the hatch she'd crawled out of and dragging it open once again. "Let's go, into the hole!"

"There's no ladder!" Susan observed as she squatted down, "How did you get up?"

Jan looked over to the screen that displayed the lift's progress, "Press your back against one side and your feet against the other. It's a bit wonky, but it'll be fine."

"Jesus, Jan, where'd you learn this!?" Barbara pulled off her heels and shimmied down into the shaft, practically holding her breath as she started to cautiously make her way down. Susan went next, having a bit more trouble than Barbara due to her shorter legs, but soon she was down to the side tunnels as well. Jan offered a hand to the Doctor.

"You think you're up for this?" she asked. The Doctor just scoffed, climbing in and beginning the descent with ease. Jan blew her hair out of her eyes and sighed, starting down and pulling the hatch shut with only a little bit of difficulty.

 

* * *

 

Temmosus reached forward and took Alydon's shaking hand into his own, stopping her in her tracks.

"You're far too afraid, Alydon," he said with a calming smile, squeezing her hand before dropping it, "The Daleks mean us no harm."

Alydon squared her shoulders and continued walking, making light fists at her sides to try and stop her hands shaking. "Perhaps I am, Temmosus. But we don't  _know_ the Daleks mean us no harm. Why should they help us? What reason do they have?"

Throwing his head back, Temmosus laughed warmly, speeding up several paces so he stood next to her. "You've been saying that since you brought the message back to the camp."

"I just feel the message sounded hostile," she murmured. Temmosus sighed, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Perhaps it was coldly worded," he relented, hugging her to his side, "But friendship is meant to  _grow_ , Alydon. Think about it. The Daleks must've thought they were the only living beings left on the planet, just as we did. It's lonely."

Alydon let her shoulders drop. "But... Temmosus, will they be relieved, or will they be jealous? Or... or  _angry?_ "

"You've no reason to think that, Alydon. I think you're misjudging them," he reassured her. Alydon sighed.

"Perhaps I am being illogical, unfair... but-" she took a deep breath and let it out slowly as they passed through the city's massive gate, "I've got an instinct. Something feels wrong."

"Listen. We must find a new source of food. The Daleks have it. They've offered it to us. These are facts, Alydon, facts," Temmosus clasped his hands behind his back again as she nodded, looking around at the Dalek architecture. "Beautiful. Simply beautiful."

Alydon, realizing she'd fallen behind a few paces, jogged to catch up to him. "Temmosus, let me speak to them."

He shook his head gently, letting out a quiet sigh. "Alydon, it's only  _right_ that  _I_ speak to them."

"But- but just suppose-"

"No, Alydon," he cut her off with a wave of his hand. "You must rid yourself of these suspicions. They're based on fear, and fear breeds nothing but  _hatred_ and  _war._ " Stopping again for just a second, he clasped both hands around Alydon's. "I will speak to them peacefully. They'll see I'm unarmed."

Alydon nodded. "Yes.  _Yes, alright._ "

"Don't worry about me, Alydon. I will be safe."

 

* * *

 

One by one, out of breath, the Doctor, Susan, Barbara, and Jan all pulled themselves out of the access hatch, falling on the ground. Susan was the first to her feet, grabbing Barbara by the hands and helping her up.

"C'mon, we've got to hurry," she said, helping the Doctor up next, "Let's go, c'mon!"

"Where are we, what is this?" Barbara looked up, squinting, "This is the city wall, yeah?"

Jan jogged ahead, turning and waving them forward. "The entrance is 'bout fifty feet that way, c'mon, we can't be too far behind them." As Susan and Barbara ran to her, the Doctor shut the access hatch, looking around in suspicion. She had a bad feeling.

"Are there any Daleks?" Barbara asked, watching Jan lean around the nearest building to look into the street. Jan ducked back and shook her head, putting a finger to her lips.

"I can't see any Daleks, but I don't know. It's hard to see," she whispered. The Doctor jerked her head over her shoulder to the gate they'd originally come through.

"Perfect. Let's go back to the ship now."

"No, grandmother!" Susan hissed under her breath, "We've got to help the Thal!"

"Susan-"

"We can't let them walk into this trap!"

"Shh!" Jan glared at them both, finger at her lips again, though this time more angrily. The Doctor shot a mocking sneer at her, turning back to Susan with a hand on her shoulder.

"Susan," she whispered, "The Thal aren't our concern. We cannot jeopardize our lives getting involved in an affair which is none of our business."

"But it  _is_ our business!" Barbara said, just loud enough that it prompted Jan to shush her again. Lowering her voice, Barbara leaned closer. "The Thal gave us the anti radiation drug, we'd be dead without them!"

Before Susan could agree or the Doctor could argue, Jan held up a hand. "The Doctor's right. There's no point risking the whole party. You three go back to the ship, I'll stay and warn the Thal."

"No, we're all in this together," Susan somehow managed to shoot a sly look at the Doctor like she'd made a clever reference before continuing, "Miss Chesterton, we won't leave you. We'll all stay."

"Susan, you retreat back to the ship, that's an  _order_ ," Jan barked, then stepped back, shocked at her own words. "I- sorry, I just meant-"

"Susan, she's right," Barbara cut in, "She stands a better chance warning the Thal if she doesn't have to worry about us. C'mon, we're wasting time. Jan-" Barbara met Jan's eyes and nodded firmly once, "We'll wait for you."

Jan returned the nod, allowing a small, affirmative smile. "I'll be there."

"Good luck, Chesterton," the Doctor squeezed her shoulder, taking Susan's arm and pulling her away.

 

* * *

 

"Daleks, can you hear me?" Temmosus called, walking toward the convenient pile of supplies placed in the middle of a courtyard of pillars and dark corners. "Daleks, I am Temmosus of the Thal. Our people wish to live in peace with you." When he still didn't get an answer, Temmosus continued to walk forward, hands raised to show he was unarmed. "We understand, it must be frightening to discover you aren't the only ones living on the planet. But we mean you no harm. We need your help, and in return we'll make the soil live again, grow crops, build homes. The time for enmity is passed."

There was a mechanical whirring behind him, and Temmosus turned, seeing several large machines rolling out from behind pillars. He smiled warmly at them, bowing with a hand crossed over his chest. "You need not decide now, friends. We have waited for centuries, and it will not be a problem to wait a little longer."

Alydon and the others hesitantly moved closer to Temmosus, who held up a hand to stop them from speaking.

"We received your letter. If you are having second thoughts, I am here to assure you; we mean no harm."

 

* * *

 

Jan rounded the corner and saw an old man with dark skin and white hair dressed in a similar cloak to the one Susan had brought back to the prison cell.

And she saw three Daleks in front of him, two more behind the group.

"Oi!" she screamed, running toward the small clearing as fast as she could, "Get out of here! It's a trap!  _Run!_ "

" _FI-RE_."

The sound of the Daleks weapons firing exploded around Jan, and all she managed to do was grab one of the Thal and tackle her out of the circle of pillars, rolling and shoving her into a low placed alcove that was out of the Daleks line of sight. She jumped up, and was horrified to see the smoking bodies of every other Thal that had been there.

Breath caught in her throat, Jan abandoned all hopes of maybe finding one living person in the heap and ducked under a similar alcove to the one she shoved the Thal woman into.

She didn't know how long she was hiding - twenty, thirty minutes? - but the first thing she felt when she came out of the alcove was a knife at her throat.  _At least it's not a Dalek._

It was the woman she'd pulled away from the Daleks firing. Her face was calm, but her eyes had hurricanes in them. Jan put her hands up, trying to pull away from the knife. "Wh- whoa there, hey."

The woman looked her up and down twice, then let her shoulders relax and put her knife away. "Sorry," she said, "I thought you would have been a Dalek."

"No, not a Dalek," Jan reassured her, looking around nervously, "But there'll be Daleks here soon enough. We should go."

"Yes," she agreed, and the two of them started back toward the entrance of the city, stopping at corners and taking turns peering around them, one keeping guard the whole time. When they finally made it to the gate, they  _ran_. It wasn't until they hit the bottom of the mountain trail that they finally stopped, falling over the rocks, breathing hard.

Jan looked back at the city, letting out a sigh of relief. Her breath caught in her chest when she looked at the woman, though, seeing her collapsed with her back against a boulder, hands digging into the sides of her head.

"I'm so sorry," Jan whispered, "I'm so sorry, I was- I tried to make it sooner, I-"

"No." Teeth clenched, the woman shook her head firmly and pulled her hands down to her lap in fists. "No, you saved me, and that was all you could do. You tried to warn us. It was enough of a personal risk to do that."

They both fell into silence, Jan deciding it would be better to just keep her mouth shut.

But after several minutes, she finally sat down across from the woman, crossing her legs. "Who are you?" she gently asked. The woman looked up, straightening.

"I am Alydon of the Thal," she said, crossing a hand over her chest and bowing her head. Jan repeated the gesture to her, and Alydon let out a laugh. "Susan imitated me like that too."

"O- oh!" Jan suddenly knew why she recognized the name, "Alydon. You're the one who gave Susan the cloak!"

"Yes," Alydon nodded, "Who are you?"

"Janice Chesterton," Jan said, holding out a hand. Alydon stared at it for a moment, then hesitantly took it. "I- er- I told my friends I'd meet them back up the mountain, I don't know if-"

"Our camp is that way," Alydon agreed. She stood swiftly and squared her shoulders, though Jan thought she saw her wince. "I will escort you back up the mountain."

Jan couldn't really do anything but nod, joining Alydon on her feet and following her up the trail.

After several minutes of walking in silence, Alydon glanced back at Jan with a sad look in her eyes. "Our leader, Temmosus... he's dead." Jan nodded solemnly, watching Alydon vault over a boulder and land in a crouch, hand touching a gold splotch on her side. "Why would they kill him?" she muttered, and for just a second, Jan felt the need to comfort her like one of her young students back at Coal Hill. But then Alydon stood back to her full height, towering over her, and Jan bit back her tongue.

"I don't know. They're just... because they're Daleks, I suppose," she suggested. Alydon helped her over the boulder, shaking her head.

"But they didn't even  _know_ him."

Jan shrugged. "I don't think that matters to the Daleks."

"It doesn't make any sense, Janice," Alydon sighed, "The Daleks were not a violent people. They were scientists, philosophers. This mindless killing goes against everything we've ever learned about them."

"War changes people," Jan couldn't tell if she was saying it to Alydon or to herself.

 

* * *

 

Barbara stood with a hopeful look on her face when she saw Elyon approaching from where she'd been watching the edge of the forest. But she was disappointed when the woman shook her head.

"Nothing yet," she took a sip out of a waterskin, giving Barbara a sympathetic smile before heading back to her watch post. With a sigh, Barbara trudged over to the small clearing where the Doctor was inspecting holographic looking projections with D'yoni, who seemed to be the only one that knew how to operate the contraption.

"Fascinating," the Doctor said, pointing to something else that D'yoni proceeded to expand with her hands for more detail, "Absolutely fascinating! These records must go back a hundred million years!"

D'yoni hummed under her breath, changing the projection so it showed stars and planets. "The entire history of our planet is here. My great, great grandmother was the only surviving historian of the neutronic war. Our records have been passed down for generations." Her face darkened. "It's a shame we'll be the last to ever know it."

"Nonsense, young lady! Your survival is imminent," the Doctor smiled, squeezing D'yoni's shoulder supportively before turning back to the hologram. "Now, is this the solar system?"

"Yes. See, Skaro is the twelfth planet," she pointed to a tiny orb on the map, "Here."

"I see, I see..." the Doctor peered through her glasses with narrowed eyes, pointing to another blip on the hologram, "And what's this planet, here? Is this the entire solar system?"

Putting two fingers to the blip and blowing it up to a more easily viewed size, D'yoni absently smiled. "That's Skaro's third moon, Jax. Not a planet."

"Ah, I see."

D'yoni zoomed away from the moon, continuing to zoom until all that was visible of Skaro was a tiny blue dot. "This is just one of several holograms. We can activate several at once to create the full image of the solar system. Well... close to the full solar system. We could only map as far as our electroscopes allowed us to."

"Very interesting. I wonder if I could see the rest of them?" the Doctor asked, and D'yoni nodded, rummaging through her satchel for the other projectors.

Susan smiled, leaning into Barbara's side with her head rested on her shoulder. "Grandmother seems to be enjoying herself, doesn't she?"

Before Barbara could answer, there was a rustling of trees and two figures burst into the clearing, followed closely by Elyon. Barbara jumped to her feet, knocking Susan sideways. "Jan!" she cried, smile splitting across her face as she ran to engulf her in a hug. "Oh, you're alright!"

"Yes, yes!" Jan buried her face in the crook of Barbara's neck, leaning back and lifting her off her feet. "You've no idea how glad I am to see you."

"Alydon!" D'yoni brushed past Jan and Barbara, stopping in front of Alydon with her face drawn up in concern. "Alydon, where are the others? Where is Temmosus?"

Sadly, Alydon took D'yoni's hands into her own, shaking her head. "D'yoni, Temmosus... the others..." she swallowed thickly. D'yoni's eyes welled with tears. "They didn't make it. I'm so sorry-"

There were gasps when Alydon suddenly spluttered a cough and stumbled into D'yoni's arms, knees buckling under her as gold liquid dribbled out the sides of her mouth and down her chin. "Alydon!" D'yoni cried, almost folding under her weight. Jan rushed forward and helped guide her to a glass mound to lay against, horrified when she realized the shiny splotch of gold on the side of her white clothes was her  _blood._

"Christ..." Jan murmured, using her handkerchief to wipe the blood off Alydon's chin. "Alydon, why didn't you say you were injured?"

The woman shook her head, gritting her teeth as Ganatus knelt next to her to peel her clothes away from the wound in her side. "It's not bad, Janice. D'yoni, I'm sorry for falling on you," she tried to sit up, but she was pushed back down.

"Stay still, you stupid woman," Ganatus put a hand on Alydon's shoulder, effectively pinning her to the ground, "I'm going to seal the wound, alright? Bite down on something."

"Here-" Jan undid her tie and passed it to Alydon, who snorted and put it between her teeth. "Do you need to hold my hand?"

"I would break your hand if I held it," Alydon smiled through the tie, and she braced herself for whatever Ganatus was about to do. "Do it on my count, Ganatus."

"Of course," Ganatus agreed, and he flicked on what Jan figured was some sort of cauterizing tool. "You. Janice. Put your leg over hers, would you? That way she doesn't kick. Alright, Alydon. Whenever you're ready. Give me three, I'll go on three."

Alydon nodded, taking a deep breath. "Alright. On three. One-"

She screamed as Ganatus touched the tool to her side, strong legs almost throwing Jan clean across the clearing as she tried to kick in pain. A moment later, Ganatus turned off the tool and sat back, smiling mischeviously at her. Alydon glared at him, panting.

"I thought... you said... on  _my_ count."

Ganatus shrugged. "It hurts less when you're not expecting it. How does it feel?"

"Much better," Alydon said, running her hand over the now shiny skin on her side. Jan pulled her knee off the woman's legs, taking her tie back when it was handed to her. "Thank you, Janice."

"Oh- uh, absolutely. Hey!" she jumped to her feet to try and stop Alydon from standing, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright to walk? You were  _just_ bleeding out-"

"Do not worry after me, Janice," Alydon waved her off, heading to the other Thal in the clearing.

"What happened?" Elyon asked, handing her a skin of water to drink from. Alydon took a sip and cast her eyes toward the ground. "Alydon, where are the others? You said to D'yoni..."

"I was the only one who made it out. The others..." she shook her head, handing the skin back to Elyon. D'yoni gasped and covered her mouth, turning away. "This is Janice. She was one of the prisoners, she shouted to try and warn us. She risked her life to protect mine."

Jan gave an awkward wave. "I wish I could've protected more of you. I'm so sorry."

"You did everything in your power," Alydon said. Elyon grabbed Alydon's hand, brow creased.

"But Temmosus- what happened to Temmosus?" she asked, jaw tightening when Alydon closed her eyes, "No,  _no!_  He's gone!?"

"It was so sudden," Alydon said firmly, and her breath hitched suddenly, hand flying to press into her side. Antodus took Elyon into her arms, kissing the side of her head softly.

"What of Marimus?" she asked; Alydon shook her head again. "Tecanda?"

"I was the only one to make it out alive," Alydon said, more firmly this time. Jan nodded in agreement, feeling her heart lurch at the devastated expressions on the other Thal's faces. "I'm so sorry, everyone."

Jan felt a presence next to her, and suddenly Barbara had clasped her hand around hers in a comforting gesture. Ganatus grabbed Alydon's shoulder when she grimaced in pain again, and he guided her back down to the glass.

Once she was sitting, a waterskin in her hands, Ganatus finally spoke. "Have you decided what we're to do next?" he asked softly. The skin froze half way to Alydon's mouth, and her eyes seemed to glaze over again, "Alydon, you're to take Temmosus' place."

"Yes..." Alydon murmured, "Yes, I know."

"Do you want some painkillers, Alydon?" Susan asked, crawling over to sit next to the tall woman, "We've got some in the TARDIS."

"Pain... killers?" Alydon asked with a glance at Susan. She nodded.

"They make it easier to deal with pain. You just take them with water!" she explained. Alydon shook her head, though she did smile.

"I am fine, Susan. The pain is easy to manage, thanks to Ganatus," she nodded up at him, taking her hand off her side to caress Susan's cheek. No one noticed the way D'yoni bristled at that. "Thank you, though. I greatly appreciate your concern."

Susan's face was red when Alydon pulled her hand away, and she spluttered for a moment. "If you change your mind, let me know!"

Alydon closed her eyes and let the skin fall to her lap, thinking for a long moment. "I wish I knew why the Daleks hated us so much. It just makes no sense to me."

"I can't understand it either," Ganatus shook his head. "What have we  _done_ to them to warrant this kind of a hatred? That they would kill us senselessly, without explanation or  _reason?_ "

"Have you, on your planet, ever seen  _anything_ like them?" Alydon asked, looking from Barbara to Jan to Susan. Barbara's eyes dropped to the ground, and Jan sighed.

"I wish I could say I hadn't," she said, swallowing and sitting down cross legged. Alydon sat forward, brow furrowing. Jan scratched the back of her neck. "Your leader, Temmosus. What I heard him saying- he spoke so reasonably, so  _kindly_. There was no reason for the Daleks to respond the way they did. So there's only one explanation, really. Dislike for the unlike."

"What?" Alydon asked quietly.

Jan let out another breath, putting her hand on Alydon's leg. "They've no reason to hate you, Alydon, your people have done  _nothing_ to them. They hate you simply for being different from them."

Alydon shook her head. "That makes no sense."

"I didn't say it made sense, Alydon," Jan told her, "It's just the way things are, sometimes. Whatever you do, it doesn't matter. They'll hate you no matter what, with no sense, or reason."

"Then what can we do?" Alydon asked, voice on the verge of breaking into weakness, "Would you have us fight them?"

Jan looked at Barbara, then back at Alydon, nodding once. "If it comes to that."

D'yoni barked out a laugh. "Fight? If you would have us fight, you know less of us than the Daleks do."

"Well what would you do if the Daleks came up here right now? Attacked you where you stand?" Jan stood to face D'yoni, crossing her arms. The woman glared.

"We would go back to our plateau, where we lived before. We are not warriors anymore, we do not fight," she snapped. "Besides, the Daleks could not attack us here, they cannot leave the city."

"You'd run away," Barbara asked, astonished, "You'd just run? You wouldn't defend yourselves at all?"

"That is how it has been for generations, we won't change now," Alydon said, standing.

Jan tried to touch her arm, but she jerked it away. "Alydon, you can't just go running away. It'll only result in your deaths anyway!"

"We are not afraid to die," Ganatus said. Jan couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Then die standing up for yourselves!" she shouted. The few Thal standing with her all turned away, looks of anger on their faces. "I- I'm not saying you  _are going to die._ I'm just saying you can't just hand yourselves over to the Daleks. One way or another, they're going to find a way to attack you, and when they do, you need to fight for your lives, for your  _culture!_ "

"Janice, listen," Alydon put her hand on Jan's shoulder as the others walked away, "I can see you want to help us, but you simply don't understand. There can be no fight between the Thal and the Daleks." She pulled her hand away and nodded in finality before turning toward the others, "Ganatus, I need to speak with you."

Quietly, Barbara leaned over to Jan and Susan. "I don't understand this. They're obviously not cowards, but- but  _this_ level of pacifism? It's insane."

Jan was about to answer when the Doctor suddenly approached, chuckling to herself as she displayed a hologram to the three. "I think these will interest you!" she smiled, sticking her hand into the blue light and expanding an image of a person. The other three huddled closer, inspecting the image.

It was a tall looking woman with thick, curly dark hair that spiraled out around her head like a mane, falling over her shoulders. She had two sets of eyes, one resting where her cheekbones were and the other where human eyes were typically set, and her nose was flat against her face. Fangs could be seen poking out of her mouth, and long, sharp claws protruded from the tips of her fingers.

"Who's that?" Jan asked, inspecting the image. The Doctor smiled at her.

"Not  _who_ ," she said, " _What._ This is these people's ancestor. An ancient Thal warrior. Watch this." The Doctor chortled to herself as she expanded the image of the Thal woman's face, then placed two fingers on her lower jaw and opened it, continuing to pull until the jaw had unhinged, revealing hundreds of terrifying, sharpened teeth.

"Oh that's  _awful!_ " Barbara gasped, "That's a  _Thal!?_ "

"Yes, yes it is!" the Doctor smiled, closing the jaw and fiddling with other aspects of the hologram, revealing more and more horrifying features as she did. "The Thal were killing machines back then! A race of beautiful but brutal warriors. Evolution made it so they were more efficient at killing than anything you've ever seen on your Earth."

Jan couldn't hide her astonishment, looking from the hologram to Alydon, who was talking to Ganatus, in shock. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I certainly am not," the Doctor said. Jan shook her head.

"How the  _hell_ did  _that_ become... become-" she gestured to the Thal at the edge of the clearing, " _That!?_ "

The Doctor continued to fiddle with the hologram, shrugging. "From what I understand, there was a neutronic war. Most of the life on the planet was wiped out, but the survivors mutated. Into what you see today. Took hundreds of years, of course. It seems that with the loss of their external and claws, they also lost their predator edge."

"So the Thal used to be warriors," Barbara mused, "Perhaps the loss of their warrior genetics is what stops them from wanting to fight the Daleks."

"Ah, yes!" the Doctor cut in before Jan could respond to her, "Speaking of the Daleks, take a look at this!"

She tucked the other projector under her arm and pulled a different one from her pocket, turning it on and revealing an image of a creature with a single eye in the center of nearly fifteen tentacles springing from it. Two antennae protruded from its head, the ends glowing like little candles. It was strange looking, but a beautiful little creature.

"That sort of looks like the thing we found in the woods when we first got here!" Barbara said, looking at the hologram with fascination. The Doctor handed the projector to Susan and grabbed her lapels, smiling.

"Yes, yes, yes. The one in the forest was most likely petrified with the rest of the life on the planet during the neutronic war. Miss Chesterfield, do you recall the monstrosity we pulled out of the armor back in the prison?" she asked, and Jan nodded.

"Oh do I. I suppose this is it's predecessor?" she said, squinting at the thing, "But this is so sweet looking. I can't imagine it being as cruel as the Daleks."

The Doctor took the projector back, nodding absently. "They were called the Dals back then. They were scientists, philosophers. Pacifists. The radiation mutated them into what we saw in that armor."

"Fascinating," Jan murmured, "How do you know all of this, Doctor?"

"Oh, it's all in that D'yoni girl's satchel. She's got the full Skaroene history in there. Her great-great-something grandmother was the only surviving historian of-"

"How on Earth did the Thal become the pacifists and the Daleks the murderers?" Barbara asked, shaking her head, "I didn't think radiation had  _that_ much power over creatures."

"Doctor, could I see that hologram again? The one of the Thal," Jan asked, and the Doctor handed it over, "Do you think perhaps we should remind the Thal of who they used to be? Maybe it would help."

"What are you on about, young lady?" the Doctor asked, squinting.

"Oh, the Thal are so opposed to fighting the Daleks," Barbara sighed, then turned back to Jan, "I don't know, do you think it could change their minds?"

"Does it matter?" the Doctor cut in, making the other three look back toward her, "We are no longer responsible for the Thal. We've got ourselves to worry about, and we barely made it out of that city alive. We're going back to the ship and I'm going to start work on getting the two of you home."

The word  _home_ made Barbara and Jan perk up, quickly forgetting about the holograms in their hands. "I suppose... yes, the Doctor's right."

"What!?" Susan blanched, mouth falling open, "You've got to be kidding, the Thal are such nice people!"

"But the Daleks are not, child, and that's what's really important," the Doctor tutted, turning her key and opening the door. "Oh! Miss Chesterton, would you mind giving me back the fluid link?"

Jan froze, eyes going wide.

"Miss Chesterton! Did you hear me?"

"The fluid link," Jan said flatly, bringing a hand up to her head, "Shit.  _Shit._ "

The Doctor closed the door again, narrowing her eyes and walking toward Jan and Barbara. "What's she looking so concerned about? Give me the fluid link, we'll be on our way."

"Jan, you've got the fluid link, haven't you?" Barbara asked hesitantly. Jan swore again, squeezing her eyes shut. "Jan, it was in your bag. You've still got-" she stopped, realization hitting her, and she groaned. Susan looked at each of them in confusion.

"What? What is it?"

"It's all back in the cell," Jan said, "Back in the city. I left the fluid link in the city."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "be gay do crimes" - susan foreman (doctor who, 1963)

**Author's Note:**

> "yeah baby!" said no one, because this was not good


End file.
